


Streaming Harmony

by JoyVampire



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Backstory, Characters Reading Fanfiction, Chatting & Messaging, Conventions, Human K1-B0 (Dangan Ronpa), Insecurity, Multi, References to Canon, Swearing, They/Them Pronouns for Fujisaki Chihiro, Ultimate Imposter Has A Name, Youtuber AU, but it isn't relevant to the story, whole lotta backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 63,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23444869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoyVampire/pseuds/JoyVampire
Summary: DanganCon. Japan’s next biggest annual convention. Starting life as a bringing together of YouTubers from all across the country, three years later caters for all genres of pop culture and media.Rantaro Amami, internationally famous vlogger and featured guest at the fourth DanganCon, has big plans involving himself and fifteen other YouTubers. They each lead different lives, make different content…yet somehow this group always find themselves drawn to one another.A Danganronpa V3 YouTuber AU, with characters from the other games in the background. First half features the cast going about their daily lives, second half takes place during the convention.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Iruma Miu/K1-B0
Comments: 80
Kudos: 164





	1. AmamiWho and PianoBaka

**Author's Note:**

> So a few months ago I came across some fanart for a V3 YouTuber AU and fell in love with it. I have no idea who actually started it, but I’ve linked the two sites where I’ve taken reference for it below:
> 
> Ministarfruit’s tumblr - https://ministarfruit.tumblr.com/archive/tagged/youtube%20au (the usernames)  
> x guuji x on Amino - https://aminoapps.com/c/danganronpa/page/blog/v3-youtuber-au/r0ZY_epmseuxelawaerkWY5qmK1dE5VrbJg (the types of content on their channels)
> 
> As I said before, I’ve made references to a lot of the ideas they’ve come up with, but attempted to craft my own story out of it. Consider it kind of like a prequel to the AU??

_AmamiWho  
_Rantaro Amami, 22, full-time YouTuber  
The very definition of a YouTuber, he’s done it all: make-up, clothes, hauls, routines, DIYs, favourites, tutorials…his fame has resulted in several collaborations with other creators, and adoring fans of both genders. An adventurer at heart, he got into the scene while travelling the world and blogging his experiences, something he continues doing to this day. He loves meet n’ greets, and is delighted when he meets fans in public…especially when he finds them in other countries.  
\- does daily vlogs and special travel vlogs  
\- monthly Q&As

* * *

Fifteen years of travelling the globe, fifteen years of new frontiers, new cultures, new ways of getting around…and Rantaro Amami’s favourite was still plane travel.

Don’t be mistaken, there was still something more appealing about taking a rustic ride along one of Amsterdam’s stretches of canal, or boarding a gondola to cross the bustling waters of Venice. Then there was the unparalleled excitement of being pulled through wintery tundra on the back of a dog sled. Even with the more outlandish vehicles like a Cuban coco taxi or a Guatemalan chicken bus, the experience just couldn’t be matched in its own way.

But when all was said and done, planes had wi-fi.

While the rest of business class were using the flight to get some rest, Rantaro had his laptop out on his tray table and headphones plugged in, working on editing one of his larger travel videos. His usual uploads tended to be daily lifestyle vlogs, although his wanderlust gave him the occasional opportunity to create longer documentations of his adventures, and the time spent travelling to-and-fro provided ample time to edit them.

He’d been lucky to get close to finishing it while waiting for his departure, only missing some form of a soundtrack. Thankfully for him, he knew exactly where to turn to.

Pulling out his phone, he started composing a message to one of his closest friends, when a message tone sounded through his ears. At the top of his emails was one entitled _DanganCon Passes_. Grinning hopefully, he clicked on the message and read over its contents:  
  


_Rantaro,_

_Thank you for your recent email. It’s great to have your support for this year’s DanganCon, and I am happy that you agreed to appear as a featured creator._

_In regards to your latest question about Ultimate Passes, may I say that I’ve found a new respect for you and your work after reading it. The initial purpose of DanganCon was to enable the bringing together of all manner of content creators, and to provide insight and guidance to help such creators nurture their talents to new levels. Your plans for your and these other fifteen channels fully embodies the ethos of DanganCon, and I would therefore be more than willing to facilitate your request._

_In order to send these passes out, you will need to send the other creators an information form (linked below) to fill out, which I will respond to personally, and ensure the arrival of their Ultimate Passes as soon as possible._

_Until the weekend of the convention, enjoy your travels, and I look forward to seeing you and the rest of your group there._

_Sincerely,  
Gento Kageyama _ _影山幻人_ _  
_ _Founder of DanganCon_

  
Whispering a “yes” under his breath, Rantaro took a screen-capture of the email and pulled up the group chat he’d created for himself and these fifteen others.

On a surface level, they may seem like random people for someone as popular as Rantaro to want to frequently associate with. The 6 million strong travel/lifestyle vlogger, in comparison with the 2m space fanatic, the 999k sketch comedy senior-high student, then again compared to the 700k bug database and the 200k book-tuber. The topics covered on each of these sixteen channels was vastly different, yet a fan of any of them had a one-in-three chance of seeing them in a collaboration with one of the others. Combinations that shouldn’t work under any normal circumstances attracted viewership figures into their millions, and the fans lived for them. Naturally, such frequent collabs resulted in them becoming friends – some better than others.

Rantaro posted the photo of Gento’s email, followed by the link he’d embedded into it, onto the group, and waited for any of them to reply. It wasn’t too long of a wait.

_PianoBaka: That’s great! Thank you Amami-kun!_

_MissShirogane: omg you actually got us all Ultimate passes!?_

_PantaLord: le gasp_

_xxxIruma: fuck yeah! about time!_

_Luminary of the Stars: its like a month off fuck man I thought we weren’t gonna make it!_

_BlessedAngie: Clearly tis the result of Atua’s spirit bestowing good fortune on you!_

_hoshigtg: that saves us all 30k yen each_

_MissShirogane: wait did you have to pay for all of them!_

_AmamiWho: No, I only had to pay for like two. All the rest were free_

_PantaLord: (((( ;°_ _Д_ _°_ _))))_

_PantaLord: have you been sucking off kageyama-chan or what_

With the important stuff out of the way, he returned to his editing, leaving the conversation to continue in the background. Not all of them had automatically got involved with the developing chaos, but those who’d started it off certainly weren’t ready to leave it, and as his ride continued to its destination, the person who kicked it all off in the first place kept on attempting (and failing) to maintain order.

Speaking of which…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_PianoBaka  
_Kaede Akamatsu, 19, college student  
She is an exceptionally skilled pianist, who uses her musical talents and enthusiasm on her channel. Her most common types of videos are musical reviews, covers and relaxation medleys. Her piano obsession runs so deep that she often forgets to eat and sleep while playing. She first gained a following after a video of her playing piano at a train station went viral; nowadays, she’s the type who replies to as many comments as possible, and has even offered to write songs for other YouTubers.  
\- Forte Friday (piano tips, études, basics, performance updates etc.)  
\- Tune-provements (making bad songs sound better)

* * *

The moment the link appeared on her feed, Kaede immediately filled the form out and sent it back. She had been sat at her piano, engrossed in preparing for another potential collaboration, when Rantaro sent it out to them all.

If you asked her, she would declare herself as the most excited about what her friend had in store for them all – while the adventurer had instigated and planned this project of his, it had actually been Kaede’s idea to bring all these smaller channels together in some way.

She grew up with such an obsession with playing the piano, she’d forget the essentials like eating and sleeping when she got into her zone. Such dedication over the years allowed her to truly hone her skills, causing her to become renowned within the music community. But such expectations came at a cost: to preserve her capabilities, Kaede hadn’t been allowed to engage in activities that could injure her hands and fingers. Add to that her existing devotion to her art and…yes, piano really was the be-all-and-end-all of her life.

That was when she found vlogging, three years ago. The first thing she’d ever uploaded to the platform had been a backstage view of one of her older performances, the ones that everyone would know existed but only the most fortunate would have the chance to see in person. At the time she didn’t really think much of it, only doing so to let others see her shows. Her claim to fame on the platform, however, came when she was spotted performing Clair de Lune (one of her favourites) at one of Tokyo’s busier train stations – as her fanbase grew, so did the scope of her content. Now with another hobby to call her own, she picked up a newfound love of using her talents to help other people. Whether it was providing tips for other players, lifting her viewers’ spirits, or even inspiring someone else to take up the piano, Kaede couldn’t be more delighted with what her channel had done.

Perhaps one of the most interesting developments had been the opportunity to work with other musicians, like she was hoping to do right now. There was an unconventional rock musician online who wanted her to put together a song with her. She’d heard her stuff before, and while it wasn’t really her thing, it would at least be unique to work with her. But to make the idea even cooler, this other girl had even suggested getting in touch with one of the country’s most famous pop musicians! A weird mish-mash of genres, but again, interesting.

While working on samples to offer up for their future composition, the excitement from her main group wasn’t letting up. Message after message of surprise and gratitude popped up on her feed one after the other, until one private message was thrown into the mix. Not from either of the girls like she’d been hoping, but instead her best friend Rantaro.

_AmamiWho: Morning, Akamatsu-san. Or evening?_

_PianoBaka: It’s actually still midday :)_

_AmamiWho: oh is it? I think the jetlag’s kicking in already_

_PianoBaka: Thanks again for the passes, Amami-kun!_

_AmamiWho: it’s no problem really. If anything I should be thanking you for giving me the idea to do this_

_PianoBaka: Whatever this is…_

_PianoBaka: Why can’t you tell me about it? I helped!!_

_AmamiWho: can’t risk any of the others knowing. Top secret._

_AmamiWho: anyway, I don’t know how busy you are atm, but do you mind doing me a favour?_

_PianoBaka: What kind of favour?_

_AmamiWho: I need a backing track for an upcoming video, do you think you could put something together in a few days?_

_PianoBaka: I have a couple reserve ones I can send you later today?_

_AmamiWho: sounds good! You’re the best!_

_PianoBaka: Aww thanks (*^^*)_

She jumped on it almost immediately. Of all the people in their little group, she had gotten closest with Rantaro, and it wasn’t unusual for him to use her original compositions for some of his videos. Some of their other friends had followed suit depending on their material, but he was her number one customer. There was really only one other person who she considered herself particularly close to, but they were nowhere to be found in the group right now.

_PianoBaka: Amami-kun, you haven’t heard anything from Saihara-kun recently have you?_

_AmamiWho: no? you’re closer to him than I am_

_PianoBaka: He just hasn’t said anything about the passes yet_

_AmamiWho: you know how busy he can be with his job every now and then. Leave it for a couple days and give him a chance to see it_

_PianoBaka: Yeah maybe_

_PianoBaka: Anyway, hope the samples are good enough, and enjoy your trip! You better bring me something nice back!_

_AmamiWho: always (-_ _‿◦_ _)_

Finishing her conversation with Rantaro, she held her phone in her hand a little longer, finger hovering over her other friend’s contact. He’d been active not too long ago, but still hadn’t made any contribution to the big group, which wasn’t too much of a surprise – he wasn’t normally the talkative type, but would always try and message at least once. Normally, she’d follow Rantaro’s advice and leave it a couple days – he worked a difficult job outside of his vlogging schedule, and it was possible he just didn’t have time to reply. Then again, he’d not long confided in her some worries about this whole situation…

_No, give it time._

She turned her phone off, the device still vibrating on top of her piano, and switched back to her laptop. _Work now, DanganCon later._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you couldn’t tell from reading the tags, Gento Kageyama is the name I decided to give the Ultimate Imposter in this story:  
> Gento / 幻人 = phantom, human  
> Kageyama / 影山 = shadow, mountain  
> Hope you enjoyed this first chapter, look forward to more (maybe longer) additions in the future!


	2. Get G and PantaLord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I loved part one of this chapter when I was re-reading it, part two literally just reads as exposition...mind you that is kind of what I had planned for the first part of this fic, but it still looks clunky imo. Some of these characters are gonna be way easier to write than others.

_ Get G (Genius Experimental Tech & Gaming)  
_ Miu Iruma [xxxIruma] and Tetsuya Iidabashi [Kiibo], 21, third year undergraduates  
A university techie couple, the pair started their channel in their first year when their interests collided: Tetsuya, a quiet, robotics student gamer; and Miu, a boisterous amateur inventor. They make videos individually and together, including gaming & console reviews, tech related Q&As, and the odd Let’s Play. Few ever expected the odd duo of the awkward guy and vulgar girl to ever work, but they’ve lasted for just over two years and counting.  
\- “How to Make…”  
\- Dumb Build – what’s the weirdest thing Miu can create? (Also Drunk Build)

* * *

_ 29 days until DanganCon… _

Hangovers weren’t something Miu wasn’t used to; it’s kind of expected when you’re an outgoing university student, after all. But this particular one was enough to put her off ‘Drunk Build’ for life.

The whole of last night’s intoxicated filming session was an absolute blur to the young genius, waves of dizziness and nausea passing through her head any time she made an attempt to get out of bed. When did she even get there? She was certain she’d passed out at the kitchen table, leaving the camera still rolling.

With a glance at her alarm – 12:23 – Miu forced her way downstairs and towards the kitchen, fighting through the remnants of booze flowing through her system, expecting to come across a room littered with empty cans and bottles. Instead, the whole thing was perfectly tidy. As though nothing had ever happened the night before. The only things out were a silver flask on the side, and another red flask on the worktop, a small slip of paper propped up against it:

_ Don’t worry about last night, I’ve already cleared it up for you. Your toolbox is back in the garage and I’ve left the footage to upload to the computer, although I left your ‘invention’ where it was. There’s a flask of ginger tea on the side to help your hangover (it’s the red one – don’t touch the silver one for now), and some lunch money for when I get home. I should be back by 12:30. Take it easy until then.  
\- Tetsuya _

Miu took the flask and slumped into one of the kitchen stools, sighing in contentment as she opened the flask. Tetsuya really was too good to her, and to think three years ago things could have turned out so different.

Ever since her rebirth as an ‘augmented human’, even she couldn’t deny the stark changes to her personality – transitioning from a boring and unremarkable girl, to a genius exuding eccentricity and confidence, perhaps to a fault. It turned out not too many people were a fan of the onslaught of sexual innuendos, or the foul language that accompanied her arrogance, making the remainder of her high school experience a lonely one. With no one to share her invention ideas with – regardless of whether or not they were any good – she made the decision to share them with the entire world, via YouTube, under the username xxxIruma. Every video documented her successes, her failures, her “fuck this, it’s some corporation’s problem now” moments, and she was quick to draw a following. And she loved it, having so many people truly acknowledge her genius. It didn’t help her lonely feelings, but it was something.

She had enough knowledge to skip university after graduating and keep doing her own thing, but a long string of ‘failures’ pushed her to enrol, in the hopes three extra years of education that, in her mind, was pointless, would get the creative juices flowing. Obviously her application was a success, and from the first time she set foot into her class, she’d been swarmed by her kind of people: loud, proud, and appreciative of her genius – almost all of them had been followers of her channel. They would have been her fast way out of her lonely existence, her best chance of being able to _properly_ show off what she was capable of.

And yet she still chose him. The quiet robotics boy.

The first time Miu saw Tetsuya Iidabashi, he was sat far away from the rest of his classmates, beanie obscuring most of his facial features, hunched over his desk and piecing together…something. She’d left her group for a moment, with every intention to make an ill-founded comment about his hat, when she got a closer look at the focus of his attention. In one hand was a screwdriver, several other tools in front of him, while the other hand held a small metallic doll that looked kind of similar to him.

_ Is that…a mini robot? _ It was something she’d been interested in for years, but had never had the facility to ever dabble in. So she dropped herself in the seat next to him and fired question after question about this project of his. He didn’t always reply, and whenever he did it was pretty quiet, but he apparently welcomed this strange, loud woman taking an interest.

A week later, Tetsuya had told her a little more about himself. He was the son of a famous roboticist and had therefore spent his entire life around engineering and tech, becoming eager to learn everything his father knew. He would become so engaged with his robotics work that he didn’t have much time for friends or socialising, his childhood becoming a lonely one. He didn’t mind, but still wanted to try and make time.

This _sort of_ came to be when his knowledge attracted the attention of his old classmates, providing him with a job fixing up some things they had at home that weren’t working. Mostly they wanted him to test out some gaming consoles and discs of theirs they thought were broken, which prompted him to start his own YouTube channel (simply named Kiibo) specifically for this job – he’d film himself testing them and outlining all the problems so he didn’t have to waste time explaining the scientific stuff to them the next day. On occasion he would also post small let’s plays, gaming becoming his main choice of how to use his free time.

In their first month as friends, she watched with fascination as Tetsuya continued working on his tiny robot, which Miu affectionately named Chibi-Kiibo. As the process continued, he taught her the ins-and-outs of robotics, and she made a show of incorporating it into her future inventions. At the beginning of their second semester, they decided to form one big channel to combine both their interests, settling on the username Genius Experimental Tech & Gaming, or Get G for short (Miu contributed ‘genius’ and ‘experimental’, Tetsuya deciding to emphasise ‘tech and gaming’ as the primary focus). A month after creating the channel, they started getting romantically involved, and the rest of their classmates noticed changes to their personality. They were still the same people in general, but when together, the overly-proud one showed a more humble side, and the inhibited one became noticeably more bubbly. They were still the same people, just no longer lonely.

As she reached for her tablet to order some pizza, she heard the front door to their house open, Tetsuya appearing in the kitchen soon after. Still feeling too crummy to yell a greeting, Miu just held a hand up as though waving.

“Good morning, Miu.” Tetsuya reached into his rucksack and pulled out a blue folder. “Are you feeling any better now?”

“Fuck no. I only got out of bed like ten minutes ago.” She rubbed her head and took another sip of her tea. “Ugh…how much did I drink last night?”

“A small bottle of sake, two cans of beer…” _That didn’t sound too horrible_ … “and three whole jugs full of boba tea mixed with vodka.” _Oh._ “And that’s only based on what I found this morning. There may well have been more. Here,” he handed the folder to her. “The notes you missed from today’s class.”

“Cheers.” She looked back over at where the fruits of her inebriated labour still sat. “Maybe I should stop the Drunk Build series. All that alcohol has to be messing with my genius brain.”

“I mean, that _is_ what alcohol does, but why stop it after one bad night?”

“Well if _that’s_ all I have to fuckin’ show for it,” she pointed to the silver flask, “there’s no point in wasting entire nights building endless failures!”

“Hey, we don’t know if it was a failure.” He picked it up and turned it around in his hands. “To be honest, I can’t exactly tell what it’s supposed to be. It just looks like an ordinary drinks flask.” He dropped it onto the table in front of her, taking a seat on the stool beside her.

“It was supposed to be a multi-purpose survival tool. The flask is just a flask, but it has three other functions. The extra black bit at the bottom is the fuel source, which can also heat up whatever you keep in there. Press the button embedded into the base to turn it on. Mind you, you do need some of your poop in there to make it work.”

“I…see.” Curiously, he detached it, only to gag and quickly replace it.

“Twist the handle and it expands into a special weapon.” He did so, and the top half of the flask grew at least a foot in length. “How’s that? Thermos rocket launcher!”

Tetsuya strained with the sudden new weight of it, forced to rest it on his shoulder. “Um…while I don’t see how this is a necessity for survival, I also can’t comprehend how this is a failure.”

“I tested it in the backyard and burnt the wall of the house instead. Don’t be surprised if you can smell my shit the next time we’re outside.”

“Right…how do you reduce it?”

“Twist it again.” He did, and it fit safely in his hand once more. Slightly disgusted, he set it back onto the table and put a hand on Miu’s shoulder.

“Alright. Well, if you really think this is a failure, why not take a short break from your invention ideas?” Tetsuya held up an envelope with the convention logo in the corner. “Our tickets just arrived this morning, meaning we have even less time for that project of ours as it is.”

Miu looked up at him, eyes lighting up. “Are…are you saying…?”

“Exactly. We’re going to rebuild Chibi-Kiibo, only this time with several improvements. Create a robot that can act like a human. A major project to commemorate our graduation in a few months, our appearance at DanganCon, and of course,” he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, “our two year anniversary.”

She squealed in excitement, pulling him in for a tighter hug and a kiss on the lips. “Love you too, Kiibs!”

Now red in the face, Tetsuya stood up and reached for Miu’s tablet. “I’ll go order our food. Just take it slow and keep drinking the tea.” He stopped himself halfway through the door. “By the way, you said there were _three_ other functions for that thing.”

“Oh! Right, the most important function! Pull down on the handle, then press the button on its side.”

As he did the first thing, the flask shrunk down by about 50%. He then pressed the button. And the flask began vibrating in his hand. Unsurprised by her sexual addition to her ‘survival tool’, he looked to her with a flat expression.

“What? You never know when you’re gonna have to release some pent-up tension!”

Yep. She was still the same person.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

__

_ PantaLord  
_ Kokichi Ouma, 18, senior high school student  
Given his young age, Kokichi may not be the most experienced YouTuber, but in a short time has amassed a significant following. Best known for his 100% real prank videos, he also loves video games, and frequently creates comedy skits & short films with his friends (a group known only as DICE). With a tendency for mischief and deceit, even his viewers aren’t exempt from the kinds of tricks he may pull off.  
\- Dank Tank (fan-involvement series)  
\- does occasional challenge videos and reactions with whatever’s trending

* * *

_ Bunkasai _ . The culture festival. An annual tradition at every Japanese school, providing children of all ages the opportunity to showcase their talents and accomplishments to the public. In the last two days leading up to the weekend event, students from every corner of the country would be hard at work cramming their final preparations for their stalls, exhibits and performances. 

Well, all bar one.

Imperial Capital’s Imperial High School third-year Kokichi Ouma, rather than being out in his classroom doing his bit, was stuck in the faculty room opposite his homeroom teacher. Not because he was in any kind of trouble, but because of a boring careers counselling session. At least Ms. Yukizome could tell he wasn’t happy to be there.

“I know you want to get back to your classmates as fast as possible, so I’ll keep it quick.” She held up a small rectangle of paper that was on her desk:

_ Name: Kokichi Ouma  
Desired University:  
Desired Career (1st choice): full-time YouTuber  
Desired Career (2nd choice): _

“I noticed there were some things missing from the careers survey you handed in last week. Given it looks like there are a few things you were unsure of at the time, I was hoping we could take some time together to finish filling it out.”

“Nope. No uncertainty here. That’s what I wanna do after graduating.”

“That’s…all?”

“Yep,” came his simple reply.

“Right, but don’t you think you should at least consider other options? Just in case? You never know what could happen in the future.”

“Jeez…I’ve answered the survey and said what I _really_ wanna do, and that’s not good enough for you people?”

Chisa sighed and put the paper back on the desk. “Listen, Kokichi, you’re a smart boy. Perhaps the brightest in the school right now. From the beginning you’ve had exceptional grades. If you put your mind to it, you could get into one of most elite universities in Japan. But this hobby really seems to be interfering with your school work this year. Skipping classes, falling behind in homework assignments…”

“Only because I don’t do it all. When I do, I still get top marks in those and all my other exams, right? That’s the only thing that really matters upon graduation.”

“I guess so, but…how do I put this? I think everyone in the school knows about you and your channel, and how passionate you are about making content. You’ve even used it to promote our _bunkasai_ this year and last year. The only concern with pursuing it full-time with nothing to fall back on…is it really a profitable career option?”

“If you’re good enough.” Kokichi leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head. “Besides, I’ve managed to get this far. I know I’d be able to handle it if it fell through.”

He knew. Chisa knew.

Upon first being accepted into Imperial Capital’s Imperial High, he’d been highly secretive of his childhood, always finding a way to lie about why he didn’t have any parents, why he’d been out of education for so long, why he co-owned a house with nine other children at the age of 14. His homeroom teacher, Chisa, only found out the true version of events at the beginning of his second-year.

At a very early age, one too young for him to remember them well enough, his parents had died in a road accident. Until the age of six, he was passed around his remaining relatives, none of them seeming too happy with the situation. The constant movement kept him out of education, forcing him to spend most of his time playing video games instead.

When all his remaining family fully tired of waiting their turn for their biannual homestay session, he was finally dumped at an orphanage. He ran away two years later and spent some time homeless. The only way he could get by was through petty theft, sometimes selling whatever he managed to grab for extra cash. By eleven, he’d moved up to full-on stealing from passers-by. He wasn’t a fan of doing anything more than swiping cheap stuff from the local convenience store, but if it was necessary…

Fortunately, he was able to stop thanks to an eventual stroke of luck. Some sickly white-haired kid slightly older than him had discarded a lottery ticket where he’d been sleeping that night – it was the jackpot winner, 100 million yen. Moron. Pockets now filled, rather than finding an apartment somewhere to rent (if the landlord saw an unaccompanied eleven-year-old trying to buy an apartment for himself, he’d probably be sent straight back to another boring orphanage), he decided to live in and furnish an abandoned building in the middle of the city – one that no company had touched in years.

But as cool as it was now, it was still lonely. He decided to wander the streets around him, sometimes hopping on a train and venturing farther afield, looking for other kids who were stuck in the same situation he’d been in before. He found nine in total – one sleeping in some bin bags, another rummaging through the bins behind a restaurant; he’d saved one from the police by lying about being related to them; one other girl his age was working in a questionable looking café. All nine of them moved into his new home, and they became a found family.

Despite their easier lives, they still couldn’t let their pasts go. They would still take to the streets and pull minor pranks on the locals, under the name DICE. The acts grew in scale over time, but never became anything more than harmless fun – and while it annoyed the hell out of the adults, the local kids who witnessed their stunts hailed them as heroes. And that’s when Kokichi came up with an idea: what if they expanded DICE’s influence to the rest of the nation? To the rest of the _world_?

One video camera and two uploads later, they had enough popularity with other young people to take their activities all over the country. It was fun for them all, but Kokichi loved it the most: he quickly added skits, reactions, challenges and gaming videos to his repertoire, and created an all-new on-screen personality for himself – in private, he was more reserved, laid back and sarcastic; in front of a camera, he was overconfident, smug and…well, still sarcastic. Regardless of how popular the channel got, the ten kids still needed to survive. So, when Kokichi was fourteen, while the rest of DICE found small jobs of their own, he begrudgingly hung up the camera for a little while and enrolled into senior high school. Despite the lack of formal education, he’d passed the entrance exam with flying colours, and from day one became highly popular among his classmates based on his pre-established success. He still remembered how surprised they were when they first got a look at his real personality.

To this day, while the other nine still popped up on occasion, the channel became his own, and was so much of a passion for him in his free time it almost consumed him – both sides to his personality tended to blend over one another, and he & DICE would skip out on their responsibilities for the sake of content. Hence today’s conversation.

“So what should the risk matter right now? I can bounce right back again! And hell am I gonna give up that channel for anything!” He felt his phone vibrate in his bag, but didn’t take it out to check it.

“I hope you realise I’m not asking you to give up on blogging entirely,” Chisa reassured him. “All I’m asking is that you keep an open mind. If you really think you can do it full-time, even for a little, then by all means do it if it’ll make you happy!”

“So _now_ you’re supporting it?”

“I’ve supported your channel for a long time. However, like I’ve said already, the social media scene can be unpredictable, so even if you don’t want to apply for a university after high school, be sure to give it as much your all in the exams as you do towards your channel. Just as a failsafe in the future.”

“Okay! I knew you’d side with me in the end, Ms. Yukizome!”

“Promise me you’ll do that?”

“Hmm…maybe not for the next month. Big things to prepare for December. But after that, sure, I promise.”

“Great!” Chisa beamed at her student. “Now hurry up and get back to your classroom!”

On his return to his classroom, he pulled out his phone to check what had made it vibrate before. There were two notifications on his lock screen:

_ Amami-chan:  
Great to hear they made it on time! I’ve booked us two together in one of the hotel rooms, so I’ll see you then! (Don’t worry, I’m bringing you something from my travels) _

But it was the second one he was more interested in:

_ Reminder: ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN PRANK @ 6pm, buy pumpkins _

“And speaking of big things to prepare for…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, while writing this, I came up with a few ideas about what sort of YouTubers these channels might be like. I probably won’t be able to come up with something for all of them, but here’s the inspirations from the previous chapters:  
> Rantaro = generic; Kaede = Katherine Steele for piano  
> I’ve considered Get G being like the Slow Mo Guys of inventing, but Tetsuya by himself I imagine like Linus Tech Tips. No idea about Miu.  
> As for Kokichi/PantaLord, it’d be like a generic prank channel combined with jacksfilms, with the personality of Nux Taku.  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, stay tuned for the next one, and stay safe!


	3. Luminary of the Stars and Harumaki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick heads up: I may have to put off my schedule of updating for a couple weeks. I have one last assignment to do for university this year and it's a big one which, in hindsight, I should have started long ago...whoops. So to focus on that, it might take a little longer than the usual two weeks to update Streaming Harmony. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this latest chapter!  
> (Off topic I know I complained about Kokichi's backstory in the last chapter, but Maki's was a huge pain for me to do)

_ Luminary of the Stars  
_ Kaito Momota, 22, part-time YouTuber/part-time fast food worker, astronaut in training  
A literal space case, this streamer is fascinated by anything and everything that can be found beyond the reaches of his home planet. With a degree in astrophysics and the training required to become an astronaut, his passion for space covers his entire channel, including space-themed conspiracies, meteor shower livestreams and anything else that gives him an excuse to discuss the cosmos. That being said, he does still upload some challenge videos and story-times taken from his current job. Perhaps his most defining trait is the galaxy theme which he manages to uphold on everything.  
\- Kaito’s Weekly Zodiac

* * *

_ 27 days until DanganCon… _

On days like today, the restaurant was practically empty. Fast food tended to be cheaper at _bunkasai_ after all. That didn’t stop Kaito from showing up to work anyway – you never knew what could happen on that one day you missed, and it could’ve been something that would make a great video.

Unfortunately, such an event was far from happening, what with there being no customers in sight. The only other person around right now was his co-worker. Thankfully, the silence provided the golden opportunity to browse for other videos, specifically those from his fellow collaborators.

“Whatcha watching?” His co-worker Leon came in from the kitchen area upon hearing his laughter, tossing a dish towel to the side.

“Kokichi’s latest video.”

“That Halloween prank from the other day?”

“That’s the one! Man, the guy can be a jerk on occasion, but he knows his way around a prank, I’ll give him that much.”

“How’d he even manage to do that with all those pumpkins?”

“I ask him something like that every time I see him – it’s a strict secret.”

Leon moved away from the countertop to reclaim the dish towel and continue drying the utensils he’d just been washing. “You gonna help with these dishes or what?”

He groaned and pocketed his phone. “Yeah, give me a minute.”

As a full-time occupation, fast food most certainly wasn’t at the top of Kaito’s list. As a part-time cash builder, however…well, it didn’t do him any wrong in high school. Everyone who got to know Kaito Momota knew full well what his _actual_ dream job was: he wanted to go to space, and had done since nursery school. You know, back when every teacher would ask what their students wanted to be when they grew up.

Naturally, not many people had taken the wild ambitions of that little troublemaker too seriously. At first. However, over the years, Kaito’s silly, childish dream became a serious plan – he would always be talking to people about the wonders of what lay beyond the confines of their little blue planet, dragging groups of his friends on stargazing trips, and act as a source of motivation for his classmates and their own ambitions. By senior high everyone who knew him had high hopes he’d make it.

It was also by this time he’d started his YouTube channel, for two main reasons. One – to help any classmates who he _did_ manage to get interested in space (by means of creating videos that pointed out different constellations mainly). Two – because there really weren’t too many other channels dedicated to space in the first place. It was expensive, what with needing to find equipment that would successfully capture the night sky, but paid off drastically.

All throughout senior high, he’d worked hard to get into a university to study astrophysics. He needed a college degree to even be considered for the astronaut training entrance exam, and the sooner the better. Come final year of senior high, he managed to graduate as one of the best in the class, and was more than ready to start his degree…only to immediately hire someone to forge documents for the entrance exam when he learnt it would be another five years to get it. The officials found out, of course, but his charisma and natural affinity for the training made them like him enough to let him stay, on the condition he worked on a relevant degree on the side of his training.

Four years later, the initial training was long completed, but there was still more advanced work, including the final stretch of his degree, to worry about. As soon as he was finished, he was ready to finish his fast-food job and become the first YouTuber to stream from space.

Until then, it was dirty dishes from the breakfast run.

“Still can’t believe you’re on collaboration terms with _the_ PantaLord!” Leon exclaimed. “You’ve gotta hook me up at some point, with all of them!”

Like Kaito, Leon was also somewhat well-known on YouTube, albeit as an up-and-coming rock musician rather than an actual content creator. Even then, most of his fame came from his baseball days, before he transitioned into the music scene.

“I know, I know.”

“Seriously! You keep on promising me. I wanna get in good with these people, find an in with someone to help boost my music, meet Sayaka Maizono!”

“First off, for the last time, Sayaka isn’t a part of our collaboration group. And second, you’re gonna finally get the chance to meet them at DanganCon!”

Leon hissed through gritted teeth. “Yeah…about that. I couldn’t afford the tickets.”

“Really? Damn. I thought you had enough saved up.”

“I _did_ …but I accidentally broke a neighbour’s window with a baseball. Whole lot, fucking gone. No wonder I quit.”

“Sorry, man.” Kaito put a clean fry basket on the side. “Anyway, moving away from that, I’ve gotta prep something for lunch. You want anything?”

“I could go for a burger, but are we even allowed to do that?”

“After waiting here for four hours with next to no customers, I think we’ve earned it. Besides, I already have to make two portions.”

“Okay, go on then.”

While Kaito went into the kitchen, Leon heard the bell above the front door chiming. Looking up from the last of the dishes he was cleaning, he saw a girl his age with two long brown pigtails, a long-sleeved black crop top and a red skirt. She politely waved at Leon as she saw him.

“Oi, Kaito! Your girlfriend’s here!”

* * *

_ Harumaki  
_ Maki Harukawa, 21, self-defence instructor  
Don’t be deceived by the username; as cute as it sounds, Maki lives off of her sarcastic and brooding on-screen personality. With years of combat training, she uses her skills to review and trial weapons, with gaming serving as her primary content – as a result, she gets sent several weapons in the mail, to the point her streaming room looks like an armoury. Her name was made up by her boyfriend, and she still hasn’t forgiven him for the sushi theme that followed – including themed merchandise, and her weapons series being given the nickname “Bento Unboxing”.

* * *

“Might wanna hurry up with the food!” Leon called into the kitchen.

“Already? Okay then, tell her I said hey, and ask what drove her to interrupt my hectic schedule.”

“Got it.” Leon turned back to Maki, who had sat herself at a table by a window. “He says hey, and he wants to know why you decided to walk in on him being a lazy ass.”

“Oi…”

Maki surveyed the emptiness of the restaurant. “Do you both _really_ have to keep working for the rest of the day?”

“Take a wild guess,” Leon responded dryly.

“We’d have left two hours ago if we didn’t have to!” Kaito contributed his own complaints.

“Why you asking?”

“A few kids from the orphanage invited me to visit their school festival this weekend, and I thought we could drop by for a couple hours. It looks more inviting than staying here any longer.”

“You hear that, Kaito?”

“Yep! Sounds good to me! But we’re still having lunch here – it’s near enough finished!”

“That’s why I stopped by early, just to see if you wanted to go along. But also because this arrived in the mail.” Maki held up an envelope.

“What’s that? Kaito!”

He came back out behind the countertop, carrying an armful of food boxes and drinks, which he almost dropped upon seeing the envelope.

“Is that what I think it is?!”

“Yes.”

“Oh, thank fucking God!” He dumped the food onto a tray and ran towards the staff room.

“Wh- hey! What’re you doin’?!”

“Relax, I’ve washed up everything. You just wipe down and we can all eat outside.”

“But why me? I have to get changed too!”

“You just have a jacket!”

Maki ignored the two guys’ bickering and instead checked her phone, the only new notifications being on the group chat.

_ MissShirogane: no but seriously, how did you do that with those pumpkins? _

_ PantaLord: no but seriously, trade secret _

_ PantaLord: for the fifth time, fucking hell let it go _

_ Kiibo: Don’t be so harsh about it! We are only curious. _

_ no trick magic: i can understand how he feels _

_ no trick magic: but i wanna know too _

_ hoshigtg: you do realise how many people are going to ask the same thing at con _

_ PantaLord: duh, and they’re all gonna have to deal with it _

_ PantaLord: the magic would be gone otherwise _

_ no trick magic: can’t argue with that _

_ Harumaki: Of course you can’t _

She still couldn’t comprehend how she’d done so many co-ops with these people, but she was appreciative of them nonetheless. Perhaps like many others, it was partially through this group that her life had seen improvement.

From birth, Maki had lived in an orphanage, with no knowledge of her family. For most of her childhood, she was quiet, aloof and anti-social. Ambitionless. No clue what she wanted to do in life. Her, in her mind, meaningless youth wasn’t an enjoyable one, but through circumstances, had changed for the better over time.

The first change happened because of the orphanage rules: older children had to help look after the younger ones. And Maki’s earlier personality made this a problem for her. Even though she gave them no reason to do so, however, they all still seemed to love her the most. One day when she was eleven or so, a group of younger kids wanted her to play video games with them. What started out as yet another orphanage obligation ended up becoming a real hobby for her – she found herself actively enjoying playing with them, enjoying their company, to the point where she was joining them much more regularly.

Change number two was sort of a carry-over from the first one. Although she was having much more fun with her orphanage friends, gaming alone wasn’t enough for her. More of a side hobby. Instead, around the same age, she found herself more drawn to self-defence classes, which helped to build up her strength and made her highly proficient in combat & various weapons. It was this that she decided to create a small channel dedicated to, its only real purpose being to document things she’d picked up in case she needed to revisit it at any point. With encouragement from her small group, on occasion she would throw in a Let’s Play (even though due to a lack of proper equipment they weren’t the best quality). Outside of that, she really didn’t take it all too seriously.

It wasn’t until senior high when the third change occurred.

For the first few weeks, she didn’t really make friends with too many other students, keeping to herself just like she had done before. Instead of hanging out with friends after school hours, she would often drop by the local gym. It was here that she met Kaito Momota, that hot-headed idiot upperclassman of hers, on several occasions. They spent the first evening spotting one another on the equipment, him apparently recognising her. From there, he spent the entire session trying to learn more about her, which she responded negatively to. All he succeeded in doing was making her annoyed by his presence.

Same time the next week, he started fresh, this time rattling off information about himself and his love of astronomy. She didn’t admit it at the time, but had become a little more interested in him. It wasn’t until the week after that she decided to open up to him just a little, heading to a café for a drink. Through their exchanges, she grew to admire Kaito’s natural ambition about every little thing he did, his heroic persona, his strong encouragement of those around him. With his clichéd passionate exterior, Maki would never have guessed just by looking at him there was this much behind it. And she was grateful she got to know it. But even with that, she still didn’t reveal _too_ much about herself.

The day after Maki’s graduation, a year after she and Kaito started a relationship, he asked if she wanted to move in with him, which she accepted. During this period of time while moving out of the orphanage, she figured it was useless keeping things to herself any longer, and revealed just how much she knew about combat and weapons. Through this, her old channel came to light, and Kaito immediately encouraged her to pick it back up and pursue it full-time. She didn’t go _that_ far, instead getting jobs teaching self-defence to people in the area and often volunteering at her old orphanage. On the side, however, her channel was rebooted, now with more possibilities thanks to Kaito. That was change four.

In the wake of this came the last (but most definitely least) change: the channel identity. If it hadn’t been for her early appearances on Kaito’s channel, it probably wouldn’t have gotten as popular as it did, for starters. On camera, she dropped back into a brooding persona like the one from her childhood, although her fans knew it was mostly an act. As big as it got, there was still one thing Kaito had advised she change – the username. MakiH was fine, he said, but also thought she could think of something cooler – she was a gamer with an armoury in her room! It came to an end when he, waiting until she wasn’t around, changed it himself to his affectionate nickname for her: Harumaki, like the maki sushi rolls. She’d grown to like the nickname since no one else in her life had ever done something like that with her…but was conflicted over whether it made for a good name for her channel. She chose to keep it in the end when she saw how much her fans liked it.

…if only she’d known _just how much_ this new cutesy username would completely contrast the rest of her channel. Weapons on display behind her, versus cutely drawn sushi on 80% of her merchandise. And then the ship name “Galactiroll”...

She may have grown to like it over time, and started to appreciate the irony, but certainly didn’t plan on fully forgiving him for it.

“Alright! Let’s eat!”

Kaito finally emerged from the staff room in a change of clothes, now donning a black zip-up hoodie with a galaxy patterned lining, a NASA shirt, and a pair of brown jeans. Leon followed soon after, having simply thrown a white jacket over his work uniform, with a rucksack swung over one shoulder. The former snatched up the tray of food and threw an arm over Maki’s shoulder, the latter retrieved the keys to the building from his pocket, and the three sat at one of the outdoor tables together.

“Now that both of you are here,” Leon rummaged through his rucksack, “Ibuki had some stuff she wanted to send you guys.”

Maki looked confused, as though Leon expected her to know who he was on about.

“Another musician he’s friends with,” Kaito clarified.

“Here!” He pushed forward a pair of red boxes, each one with their name written on top. Both of them had three throwing knives inside: Maki’s had a metallic rainbow coloured pattern on it; Kaito’s were, befitting his signature image, galaxy patterned.

“Awesome! I love ‘em!”

“These should go nicely among all the plain weapons in my room. Tell Ibuki I say thank you.”

“Would do if I was meetin’ her at DanganCon,” he mumbled.

“Oh, right! Gimme that envelope!” Kaito extended a hand to his girlfriend, pulling it back when she put it into his hand. He tore into it and retrieved a letter, two slips of paper, and two golden convention passes. “Hell yes! Rantaro rules!”

“Are those Ultimate Passes?! You lucky son-of-a-bitch!”

“Our entire group was promised them a couple months ago, but it took a long time to get them finalised.”

“Yeah, I bought a couple of regular passes as reserves in case they didn’t make it in time. I did always have a feeling we wouldn’t need them anyway. Hell, we officially registered our information for them about a week ago.”

Leon looked up from his food after a moment. “Hold up. This is the first time I’ve heard about the whole Ultimate Pass promise. Why didn’t either of you tell me?”

“I dunno.”

His eyes widened further when he came to realisation. “Wait a minute…you’ve had extra DanganCon passes the _whole_ time and didn’t even think to tell me? After I was just complaining about not being able to get one?”

Kaito stopped and looked back at him mid-bite as he too appeared to realise this. He swallowed the rest of his food. “Ohh…yeah…”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Kaito?!”

The two boys continued bickering once more as Maki continued eating. She couldn’t help but laugh to herself a little watching them, but wanted them to put an end to it. The longer they kept it up, the longer it would take for them to leave.

“Should we head to the school now?”

Kaito stopped trying to defend himself and looked back at Maki. “Yeah, let’s go! You driving or should I?”

“I will. You don’t even know where we’re going, after all.”

“Oh, yeah. Leon, still coming?”

“Sure, asshole.”

“Stop being so dramatic. I don’t want to have to deal with it for the entire journey.”

“Besides, at least now you’re coming to DanganCon!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In terms of inspirations for these characters' channel styles:  
> Kaito - idk, there really aren't too many space-related channels I know of  
> Maki - one-woman Achievement Hunter (simply because of all the weapons)  
> Thanks for the comments so far, and I'll see you soon with the next chapter!


	4. GontaTheGentleman and Miss Shirogane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been a month since the last update...I'm pretty sure that assignment made me lose all my inspiration for this. Because of that, I'm still not fully confident with how this chapter came out, but I should be able to get back to normal now that all my classwork's done for the year. Hell, I've started work on a couple of later chapters already!  
> Hope you enjoy this one, and stay safe wherever you are!  
> DISCLAIMER: I know jack-all about entomology and how to crossbreed insects

_ GontaTheGentleman  
_ Gonta Gokuhara, 23, entomologist  
This young man certainly isn’t the type you’d expect to find on such a beloved channel. A gentle giant, Gonta’s channel is dedicated to entomology – one video about every type of bug, counselling on how to remove bug fears, literally anything on the topic. Thousands love him thanks to his innocent and sweet personality…and the hugs he gives when he meets fans!  
\- Nature Survival 101

* * *

_ 24 days until DanganCon… _

Even though he’d always had a soft spot for autumn, Gonta had grown to love it in a completely different way. During his time in the wild, his animal family and most of the local bugs would be in hibernation at this time, making for little opportunity for his entomology studies. Even so, he always like the freshness of the woodland air, and the warm auburn colours of the trees.

Since his return to civilisation, his new human friends had given him an all new reason to love it. He was never one for drinking coffee on account of its extreme bitterness, but still found the experience of sitting in a café with a cup of tea its own type of warm & cosy. Precisely why he’d chosen the location for his latest entomology work.

“So what you’re saying is, that it would be impossible?”

“Perhaps not impossible, but too many circumstances may inhibit this procedure.”

With his own cup of tea in front of him sat Gonta’s friend, Gundam Tanaka. While not a vlogger like the former, he did run a well-known blog known as the Exciting Breeding Journal, renowned for his knowledge on animal breeding. 

“Unlike with mammals, as you are no doubt aware already, the skeletal structures of insects are myriad. One may be able to crossbreed two starkly deviant species of mammals, yet replicating such experiments on dissimilar insects would end in calamity.”

Despite his bizarre method of speaking, Gonta could still vaguely understand what he meant most of the time: there are so many body types of bugs that crossbreeding them would be next to impossible.

“Gonta thought that might be the case. What about if it was between two species with similar body types? Like…two members of the exopterygota division?”

“Likewise, their incompatible natural designs may cause conflict, but such an obstacle should be trivial to an entomologist of your calibre…to someone who stands equal in rank to the Supreme Overlord of Ice himself!”

Their genetics might not make it possible, but someone as gifted as Gonta has the potential to find a way to make it happen.

“Gonta understands. Thank you for clarifying, Gundam!”

“No trouble for a fellow beastspeaker.”

If one knew anything about Gonta’s family, you would never have expected him to end up where he is today. Born to rich parents, he spent most of his time as a young child playing with insects, on account of other children being frightened by his appearance. Around the age of five, he got lost in the woods one day while hunting for more insects, only managing to survive after being taken in by a pack of wolves, with whom he lived for the next ten years of his life.

It was during this time that he developed his entomology talents, surrounded by several types of insect yet unknown to the human mind. Among his revolutionary findings were new methods of cultivation, and the discovery of a parasitic worm responsible for disease in humans. Despite his accomplishments, however, upon his return home, his parents were far from impressed; instead, the young entomologist was reprimanded for his ‘enfant sauvage’ upbringing, for no longer appearing elegant enough to hold the family name.

Since his return to human civilisation, he’s worked hard not only to share his love of bugs & expand his entomology knowledge further, but also to become a true gentleman in order to prove himself and get his human family to acknowledge his wolf family. Both of these qualities have gone hand-in-hand on his channel, Gonta using his gentle & innocent persona to spread his love of insects to the rest of the world.

“Well then, gallant one, shall we depart?”

“Oh, if you’re ready to go! It looks like Maga-Z’s starting to get bored.”

Gundam set his tea down and glanced to his right shoulder, the mostly brown hamster on the verge of falling asleep. “Hm. Indeed.”

The two men stood from their table, Gonta collecting their used mugs onto a tray and leaving them at the front (he’d been told by his friends before that he didn’t have to, that an employee would come by later and pick them up, but his gentlemanly nature prevented him from leaving a mess behind), and left the warmth of the café into the crisp autumn air. The temperature change immediately caused Gundam’s Four Dark Devas to nuzzle further into his long purple scarf, and Gonta pulled his khaki green coat further around his body.

“Hmm…so the scales of the _kuraokami_ may cascade from the heavens. What manner of chaos will they bring in their wake?”

“Oh! You think it’s going to snow soon? Yes, Gonta thinks so too!”

“Unideal conditions for my demon beasts. It appears there are more preparations to be made.”

“Would you like Gonta to come by and help you? There’s nothing else Gonta has to do today.”

“Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. When the dark magics of the Supreme Overlord of Ice and the colossus of the gods are aligned, no storm shall fell their defences!”

“Um…Gonta’s happy he can do something!”

While they continued walking past more stores & restaurants, they detected two voices coming from the other side of the street somewhat aimed at them.

“Hey, is that him? Over there?”

“Oh my gosh, it is!”

The two men, upon hearing the voices grow in volume, looked to its source: two younger women, phones in hand – one in a white coat, the other in a fleecy red coat – who ran over towards them when the road was clear.

“Hey, Gonta! I love your videos!”

“You helped me overcome my fear of bugs!”

The fan’s compliments gave Gonta’s cheeks a light pink dusting. “Thank you! Gonta’s happy he can help you!”

“Can we get a photo?”

“Of course! Gundam?”

As the two girls handed their phones over to Gundam, Gonta pulled them both into a firm hug. While they got ready for the photo, Gundam turned on the camera to both phones and held one of them up to his shoulders. Cham-P took the phone from him and held onto one end of the phone, Maga-Z & San-D taking the other, and Jum-P waiting behind to push the button. Both Gundam and his hamsters took their photos at the same time, Red Coat Girl’s attention immediately going to the latter.

“No way! Did your _hamsters_ just take that photo?! That’s awesome!”

“Kehehe…there is no task on earth too arduous for the likes of my Four Dark Devas of Destruction!”

“Four Dark Devas…” White Coat Girl let out a gasp of recognition. “Don’t tell me you’re the owner of the Exciting Breeding Journal!”

“You know him as well?” The other girl asked.

“What you’ve shared on there really helped me take better care of my pets! Can I get a picture with you too?”

“Um…if you want…”

The girl passed her phone over to Gonta, getting his friend and the young fan into the frame. The four hamsters fully popped out of Gundam’s scarf for the photo, one of them jumping onto the girl’s shoulder, with Gundam himself blushing and holding his scarf up to his face in embarrassment.

“He…really doesn’t look like the type of person to get embarrassed like that,” Red Coat Girl said to no one in particular.

Gonta, being a good friend of Gundam’s, suspected it was because of his personality. Though Gonta may not be the most socially adept, he loved meeting new people after spending so much time living in the wild – for him, sharing his knowledge via online videos was his way of creating a personal connection with people on that level; Gundam, on the other hand, is far more awkward and aloof than he is, preferring the ‘silence and solitude’ that comes with owning a blog instead, being able to operate in privacy.

So an encounter like this one was bound to evoke some kind of equally as awkward response from him.

“Okay, say cheese, Gundam!”

Following the camera flash, San-D jumped back into Gundam’s scarf as the girls thanked the young men and ran off, still shining from the encounter. Gonta noticed Gundam was still red in the face.

“…I still fail to comprehend what level of resistance you possess…that prevents you from feeling such mortification…”

Translation: he doesn’t know how Gonta doesn’t get embarrassed from being recognised in person.

“Why should Gonta feel embarrassed? It means a lot to see people who appreciate what Gonta does, so Gonta wants to show that he appreciates them, too!”

“Hm.”

The two continued walking mostly in silence until they made it to Gundam’s house, Gonta remaining on as much of a high as the two girls he’d just met, Gundam taking an awfully long time to get over himself.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

__

_ Miss Shirogane  
_ Tsumugi Shirogane, 20, 2nd year undergraduate  
Anime. That can sum up her channel in one word. Anime reviews, anime boxes, (anime) impressions…and her army of fans love every minute. With a passion for cosplay, you can find the best tips and advice on Tsumugi’s channel. There may be the rare occasion where she lends her voice to comic dubs or abridged series, but she’s most passionate when dealing with the canon material…the “real fiction”, if you will.  
\- Plain Simple (cosplay tutorials and help + other related how-to)  
\- Cos Sense (documents her own progress and experiences)

* * *

_ 21 days until DanganCon… _

*DING DONG*

“Tsumugi~!”

The noises coming from outside her door was enough to pull the young woman from her impromptu sleep. Blinking as much of the sleep out of her eyes as possible, she realised she was still hunched over her desk, back propped up by a _dakimakura_ , with some fantasy/rock BGM playing softly from her laptop. One arm was hanging limply by her side, the other still atop her workspace, a small sewing needle between two fingers. She was sat in the same position she’d dozed off in: with one leg crossed under her other thigh.

This was normal when she had a time crunch: be it for her classwork, or her cosplaying, she would work through the night to get it done. While it didn’t _always_ work out (like the night just gone), when it did, the quality still came through in her work.

*DING DONG* *DING DONG* *DING DONG* *DING DONG*

“I don’t have all day, Tsumugi! Open the damn door!”

Her latest project was an example of this. Her viewers took a vote, and she now needed to prepare a tutorial on making your own sword bag. It wasn’t for a specific character, but rather to offer people a more simple sewing practice to help them work their way up to creating their own full costumes.

She rolled her shoulders back and straightened out her now ruckled blouse, putting her numb leg (the one she’d been sat on for the entire night) onto the floor and working the tingling out of it. A yawn forced its way through her mouth, the fatigue still lingering.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

“That’s it, I’m coming in.”

The door to her dorm room swung open – she hadn’t even realised it was unlocked all night – and the person waiting outside her door let themselves in. They looked irritated at first, but the expression changed to surprise & mild disgust when she got a load of Tsumugi’s current state.

“Wow, you look like shit. You pull another all-nighter?”

She stretched her arms above her head as she rose from her desk. “Yeah. Sorry about making you wait, Junko.”

While not a student at her university, Tsumugi still had a friendship with the model, following an internship with a company. Junko had been modelling for them at the same time she’d been taken on for a couple of weeks to make outfits. The other woman loved her creations so much that they kept in touch long after Tsumugi’s time with the company came to an end.

“Anyway, you got my outfit ready for this photoshoot?”

“Yeah, it’s there on the mannequin by the door.”

Even though the shoot itself didn’t have any particular theme behind it, Tsumugi had still decided to stick to a certain theme with the outfit, modelling it after an anime character: a red cheongsam that revealed both of her legs, and a short white jacket with gold lining over the top. She’d added some extra gold onto the cheongsam to make the two elements complement each other better. 

“Ooohh! Love it, as usual!”

“Thanks. Just put a signature on the order sheet on the desk, and grab a clothes bag from the wardrobe if you need one.”

Tsumugi’s attention was elsewhere while Junko did just that, fixing herself up ready for work and changing into her uniform: a long-sleeved blue/black flannel shirt, black trousers, and a long black denim apron.

“K! We still meeting up for a coffee after work, or will you be needing to catch up on your beauty sleep? Emphasis on the beauty.”

“No, no, we’re still good for that. As long as we’re done by six. There’s another video I need to upload, and a meeting with some potential sponsors I have to get ready for. Then there’s my end-of-year class project, and a collaboration with Kaito I promised to provide the supplies for.”

Junko only sighed in response as she left the dorm room.

_ Typical Tsumugi. _

For as long as she could remember, Tsumugi had been a serious fan of anime. What started as a simple love evolved over time to a full-on otaku obsession: referencing on a near daily basis, wearing any kind of merchandise with zero shame, but nowhere was her passion more apparent than in her cosplay work. Even though she doesn’t particularly enjoy wearing the costumes, she takes immense pride in working to bring the characters to life through her creations. This unmatched enthusiasm of hers was what landed her various sponsorships as her skills progressed, giving her access to all sorts of otherwise inaccessible materials.

In the beginning, what she could do was known to incredibly niche groups. At least, until she decided to start up her YouTube channel. Now praised the world over for her incredibly intricate and realistic designs, she began to garner attention even from people who weren’t interested in anime, asking her to make some custom clothing for them. Some of them even offered incredible amounts of money for the jobs! Before too long, all the recognition and sponsorship granted her a university scholarship for fashion design.

Yet with such talent, came great expectations. On all ends. She had a ton of schoolwork to keep on top of, to prove herself worthy of her scholarship. She had a channel to stay on top of to keep her fanbase entertained. She had her bar job on campus to make money, alongside her continued commission clothing job. Needless to say, Tsumugi had a serious tendency to overwork herself. To the point she felt the need to combine multiple responsibilities into one.

“Can I get a…Purple Rain, an imported beer, and two of the Muses? You know the Muses?”

Tsumugi punched some numbers into the cash register and pulled a small notebook out of her apron pocket.

“Yes, I think I know what you mean. Okay, that’s 1200 yen for the drinks, and I’ll get to the clothing order in just a bit. Just write your name, contact details and a brief description of the outfits on this page.”

Sometimes it went like that. That day alone, on top of the first two orders, she’d also received orders for a winter Creati cosplay, an original version of Weiss’ outfit, and all five Twelfth masks. _Wow, that’s still popular?_

“Tsumugi~! Shift’s over~!”

Spotting Junko announcing herself in the bar’s entrance (still wearing the same outfit from the photoshoot), Tsumugi signed out for the day and dropped herself at a table in a less crowded part of the bar.

“How did they like the outfit?”

“L-O-V-E, loved it! I think you’ve more than deserved this.” Reaching into her handbag, she pushed over a large wad of notes. “30,000 yen, cold hard cash.”

For an outfit like that, it was significantly cheaper than it should be. As part of their friendship, Tsumugi offered the model lower prices for her orders.

“Yes! Thank you!”

“Bit of an overreaction for doing your job, dontcha think?”

“It’s not about that! With this, I finally have enough con money for the end of the month!”

“And here I thought you had _enough_ merch in your room…”

“Actually, it’s for going to the paid meet-and-greets for all the big shot creators. You know, the people on your level. Speaking of, you _are_ going to DanganCon this year, right?”

Junko giggled. “No duh. You may have your own giant collaboration mystery project thingy with your friends this year, but I’ve got a big announcement of my own. _I_ …am entering the world of acting!”

“Cool! What for?”

“Top secret?”

“I swear by Haruhi Suzumiya.”

“Have you ever heard of a group called Jabberwocky? I’ve landed myself a role on their first big project. And then…I might have gotten the lead in a new series by the Mini Miyazaki himself…”

A shrill gasp fell from Tsumugi’s mouth, the young woman having to do everything possible to keep her voice down.

“You’re going to be working with _Ryota Mitarai_?! The independent animator already responsible for three wholly original acclaimed short films, who apparently uses sensory tricks to get responses from his viewers? The one who I literally have a poster of on my wall? _That very same Ryota Mitarai_?!”

The excitement was all too much for the otaku to take.

“I knew you’d be happy to hear about that. Better yet, he’s going to be announcing details of this show at Dangan this year. Maybe I could get you an in with the guy, personally put in a good word for you…?”

“You’d really do that for me?!”

_ Rantaro’s big collaboration idea,  _ and _meeting my hero?! November 29 th can’t come quickly enough_!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Tsumugi turned out to be an over-worker in this AU...okay. Also writing Gundam is difficult.  
> The characters in Tsumugi's bit, in order: Shenhua (Black Lagoon), The Muses (Hercules), Creati/Momo Yaoyorozu (BNHA), Weiss Schnee (RWBY), and Twelfth (Future Diary).  
> You'll find out more about Jabberwocky in future chapters - they aren't major, but some members appear in a couple of chapters time, and the group's project will be mentioned at the con.
> 
> Comparisons:  
> Gonta = any channel about nature, insects, survival etc.  
> Tsumugi = akidearest, CDawgVA, The Anime Man...you get the idea


	5. Oni Sama and BlessedAngie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure, I am not as pleased with this chapter as previous ones, hence the extra week. Part of the reason, I'm not the biggest fan of Korekiyo *or* Angie, so if it looks like most of their backstory taken from the wikia...well, it pretty much is. That being said, I tried to bring the collaboration element back into the story here. And while Sonia is only mentioned here, she will appear in the con chapters.  
> Also, while I mentioned before that most of the usernames had been come up with by ministarfruits on tumblr, I’m *pretty* sure I came up with Oni Sama myself…feel free to correct me if I’m wrong about that.

_Oni Sama  
_ Korekiyo Shinguuji, 25, anthropologist  
A man of culture (and not in the meme sense), he uses his channel as a support for his anthropology work, almost all of his solo uploads doused in tradition and culture. He shrouds himself in intrigue and mystery whenever on screen, shown with his trademark face mask, having become the subject of several ‘what’s behind the mask’ memes – to date, his face reveal is the most requested on his channel.  
\- a lot of ASMR series  
\- most frequently collaborates with Rantaro

* * *

_17 days until DanganCon…_

November 12th, 20XX. Local time, 8:06pm. Local temperature, 2°C.

Around this time of year, the weather was bound to be getting a little more chilly wherever you went, but Korekiyo certainly wasn’t expecting it to be as bad as it was in Novoselic. There was already snow forming on the ground, and the fact it was already dark out didn’t make it any better. His only source of warmth after leaving the building would be his mask.

It was normal, when doing his field work, for his endeavours to be on the down-low – the world may make a song and dance of his completed studies, and even his channel, but the research portion was no different than walking into your school library for a book…nobody gives you a second glance.

But there was nothing normal about receiving a _royal_ invitation into the country for that purpose.

A smartly dressed thirty-something valet was waiting in the arrivals hall for him, a sign bearing Korekiyo’s name in pristine calligraphy (complete with a red wax stamp of the national emblem & motto) in one hand, taking his bag with the other. The man quickly led him to the exit doors, where a black limousine was parked mere steps away, the door already open for him. The valet loaded his bag into the back of the limo, closing the door behind Korekiyo as he climbed in, and the chauffeur drove away.

He wasn’t usually one for drinking, but had heard a great deal from Rantaro about how Novoselic were revered for their wine and chocolate, so poured himself a small glass from the counter as the limo pulled out of the airport. There were a handful of dishes of truffles on the counter as well, but he didn’t take any of them for the time being.

“How is it?” The chauffeur, apparently having seen him through the rear-view mirror, asked (in English) in an attempt to make conversation. “Does it meet its reputation?”

He set his glass back onto the counter. “The bitterness of this particular complex is perhaps a little too bitter for my palette, although I can understand its appeal.”

“No worries, I’m sure you’ll find your ideal taste during your stay here!”

The next few minutes of the journey passed in silence, Korekiyo staring out of the window, watching the white flurry whizzing through the darkness.

“If I may ask,” the chauffeur got his attention once more, “what exactly is the nature of your study? I assume it must have ties to the royal family?”

“In a way. I intend to research the depth of your nation’s Makango tradition. If I recall, the ritual is different for royals, is it not? Hopefully, my study will reveal the thought & origins of both variants.”

“I see…to be honest with you, I’m unsure if many locals would be able to touch the surface of its history. No doubt your research will be rigorous.”

“Kukuku…anthropology may be useless without basic knowledge, but it is only with rigorous analysis that mankind can uncover humanity’s hidden beauty.”

“How exactly did you get into anthropology anyway? I’d be interested to hear.”

“The story behind it isn’t anything too incredible. It was in part a result of simply pursuing my interests, but the majority of it was thanks to my sister.”

His sister had been the person he held closest to his heart. She was a very sickly girl, and had had to make several trips to the hospital during their youth, resulting in her not having any friends. This meant she and Korekiyo spent a lot of time together.

They had been reading a book together, one that discussed the tale of Princess Kaguya, and how it had been told in several countries around the world. The fact that people from different parts of the world had such similar ideas came as a surprise to him, and his sister had been the one to convince him to research as much as he could.

At one point in time, they had entered into an incestuous relationship, with no concern for what society thought. It was true love, and that was all that mattered to Korekiyo. After his sister’s passing, he felt alone for a long time, eventually filling the hole in his heart by delving deeper into the path she’d set him on, anthropology becoming his one remaining connection to her.

(Naturally, despite not caring about the incest, he chose to omit that particular detail when telling the chauffeur. He didn’t want to risk anything ruining the Novoselic royals’ first impression of him before even getting a chance to interview them.)

The details of his introduction to anthropology were short & sweet, and on further prompting, he shared a few of his experiences with the chauffeur for the remainder of the journey.

After half an hour of travelling, the limousine came to a halt outside a large, grandiose hotel. A red carpet lead up to the golden doors, a thin veil of snow covering the bottom steps. A national flag rippled in the wintry wind on either side of the entrance, and a silver sign towered above the streets: _The Pennyroyal_ – Novoselic’s version of the Plaza, or the Ritz. Another valet waited beside the limousine with an open umbrella & luggage trolley.

“Here we are, the renowned _Pennyroyal_ hotel. Your bags will be taken to your room, and his Highness has arranged for you to enjoy a meal in the restaurant, free of charge. I will be driving you to the palace when your meetings are scheduled. Until then, I hope you enjoy your stay in our country.”

Korekiyo thanked the man graciously and collected his carry bag, taking a small bag of the chocolate truffles with him, and hurried into the building with the valet.

*BUZZ*

He felt his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket, but as a show of courtesy waited until he’d been sat at his table (where his meal was already laid out, complete with another bottle of wine) before checking it.

_Rantaro: hey kiyo, hope you had a safe journey. Just texting to ask something – I’ve managed to squeeze a trip to Novoselic in before Dangan (you were talking about it so much before you left, so I couldn’t resist!) and was wondering if we could meet up? Mostly for sightseeing, but also angie wants to do a pre-con collab with us._

_Rantaro: also, angie says hi_

Again, as a show of courtesy to his hosts, he declined to reply until he’d finished his meal, instead snapping a photo for potential reference in the future, and, checking nobody was looking at him, averted his face from view and swapped out his usual mask for his eating mask. A waitress appeared to be walking towards his table, but hadn’t noticed anything.

Instead, she uncorked the wine bottle and held it out to him. Korekiyo picked up his glass and let her fill it halfway, before setting his glass down & bringing his hands together in prayer.

“ _Itadakimasu_.”

“Um, shouldn’t you remove your mask first?”

Korekiyo ignored her, holding a small forkful of food up to his face and savouring the smell. Seconds later, the food vanished from the fork (at least from the woman’s perspective), not the slightest hint of it left over on the mask. This was immediately followed by him taking a small sip from his wine glass, the exact same effect being left over.

Speechless in awe, the waitress walked away from his table wide-eyed, as Korekiyo continued to enjoy his meal, thinking ahead to the remainder of his trip. Now, not just for field work, but also the possible video he had coming up.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_BlessedAngie  
_ Angie Yonaga, 19, commission artist & divine oracle (?)  
Hailing from an exotic island in the centre of the ocean, Angie is an exceptionally quirky and spiritual type, whose calling lies with art. Dedicating her channel to things like speedpaints, speedsculpts and sketchbook tours, she’s awed many a viewer with her effortless Da Vinci style creations, yet despite her divine talents she is known best for her ever-present discussions of religion…to be more specific, her ‘muse’ and island god Atua. It’s interesting for her viewers, but can get _ever so slightly_ annoying.  
\- slime tutorials, dabbles in animation

* * *

_14 days until DanganCon…_

November 15th, 20XX. Local time, 7:49am. Local temperature, 25°C.

Early mornings were already a norm in Angie’s life, whether it be for large art projects, worship sessions, or even the biweekly blood sacrifice. This time, it was a necessity if she and her friends stood any chance of getting this video done, what with Novoselic being a whole 12 hours ahead.

Her laptop and camera were already set up on her kitchen island, she herself sat at the table next to it all, still in her pyjamas – a yellow vest top with white short-shorts. A large spread of breakfast was in front of her: rolled oats with banana & coconut flakes served in half a coconut, and avocado pancakes with macadamia nut butter. Not the most appealing combination, one might say, but it was enough for her.

Beyond her door, she saw the rays from the sun reflected on the ocean’s ripples, a right sight more elegant than the space she was in now. Save the aforementioned recording equipment, the only things left out in the open were a sofa, a TV and several cardboard boxes filled to their brims. Some were marked ‘Japan’, others were marked ‘DeepSea’.

She didn’t know exactly what to expect when she was leaving for DanganCon, but had been advised by Rantaro to pack for a few months, for something big he was planning. She _did_ already have plans to settle over there for a while anyway, in order to get more collaborations in – sure, her channel was popular enough, but didn’t bring in as much money as it did for the others, and travelling back and forth was expensive. Not to mention relying on video calling could go disastrously depending on the net connection.

…okay, _technically_ , it was Atua’s advice more than those things that led to the decision. But for some reason, people don’t take her word as seriously when she brings Atua into it.

Atua was the god of her island, and legend dictated that going against Atua’s will was forbidden. But over time, as tradition of the island changed, attitudes towards Him did too. While still a figure of worship all over the island, very few took it as seriously as they used to. Except for Angie, that is.

She’d had art talents for many years now, but was always convinced this was Atua’s influence. Convinced that she was receiving divine messages directly from him. Angie did have a tendency to use this as an excuse to convince the other island dwellers to do favours for her, whether it was small services only benefitting her, or even putting together lavish festivals for the entire island.

A part of her was reluctant to leave her island home – not only because she’d lived there her entire life, or even for how easy it was to get her neighbours to do things for her, but because of Atua Himself…if she were to leave, would people stop believing in Him altogether? There had already been a decrease in followers, and if His oracle were to go, it might just happen again.

But on the bright side, she could keep on using her channel to promote His word. Granted, most people were in it for the art, and didn’t give a darn about the religion (not necessarily in a hateful way, they just ignored it), but it was worth a try, for His sake.

As she was about halfway through her stack of pancakes, a notification appeared on her laptop, with a request for a video call. Rantaro was ready to start, and she wasn’t even dressed yet!

Regardless, she clicked the answer button.

“Hi-hi! It’s good to see you again, Rantaro!”

She had no real way of knowing exactly how cold the weather over there was, but judging from the khaki green jumper covering Rantaro’s upper half, it was far from beach weather.

“ _Are you still in your pyjamas?_ ”

“Angie can’t help it! She only woke up an hour ago!”

“ _Oh, right. It’s the morning on your island, isn’t it?_ ”

“Yeah. You haven’t forgotten the time difference already, have you? You went straight from here a few days ago!”

He laughed. “ _I know, I know._ ”

“Does that mean you had to buy all that winter clothing yourself?”

He scratched the back of his head. “ _I mean, it’s not like I’m breaking the bank because of it…”_ Rantaro then squinted at his screen. “ _Anyway, I’d at least thought you would have already eaten.”_

“Angie made herself a big breakfast.”

“ _Looks good, whatever it is_.”

“It’s those avocado pancakes with nut butter I made for you!”

“ _Ah. Good choice.”_

Of course _he_ would say that. He loved the darn fruit.

_“At least Kiyo still hasn’t signed on yet. And we haven’t figured out what kind of video we’re even making. What sort of thing were you thinking?_ ”

…oh. She’d been so desperate for another collaboration that neither she nor Atua had considered _what kind_ of video it would be.

“Angie…doesn’t know,” she grinned sheepishly.

Another call request appeared on her laptop before Rantaro could express his disappointment. She answered it, Korekiyo’s face appearing beside Rantaro’s on the screen. Like Rantaro, he was also in winter clothing, only this time in a large parka with a scarf covering his masked face, as though he’d not long arrived back at his hotel.

“Hi-hi, Korekiyo!”

“ _Apologies for making you both wait. My audience with the Neverminds was more enlightening than I had anticipated.”_

_“It’s no big deal, Kiyo. You haven’t missed anything. Because_ Angie _over there doesn’t even know what video she wants to make.”_

The sarcasm was obvious in his voice, but Angie still stuck her tongue out at him, eliciting a chuckle from Rantaro.

“ _How’d it go, by the way?”_

“ _Very well. I may have enough information to conclude my field work early. Furthermore, on an unrelated note, I learned from his Highness that Princess Sonia may be coming to the convention on an Ultimate Pass.”_

_“What? As a creator?!”_

Korekiyo nodded. _“According to her father, she makes videos that discuss the occult and horror movies from around the world, often in several languages as a part of her hefty education.”_

“How can you not know? Atua tells me that her subscriber count is in the tens of millions!”

“ _Really? Wow, I didn’t know that_ Sonia Nevermind _was a vlogger.”_

_“If you so desire, there may be a chance for me to introduce you. Seeing as she is elsewhere currently, she has extended an offer to provide some input of her own towards my study.”_

“ _You’d do that?”_

_“I have seen how much you had been looking forward to visiting Novoselic for the first time. Who better to pose any culture related questions to?”_

“ _That’s awesome, Kiyo. I’d love to!”_

“Nyahaha! A once in a lifetime opportunity! I shall pray to Atua to bestow good fortune upon you.”

With spirits at a high on all ends, the topic of conversation shifted back to this collaboration effort, preceding almost an hour of debating video ideas, and a full morning/long night of recording.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course with all the other Nirvana references, I had to include one more for the hotel name. Also, the time zones & weather were based on Tahiti & the general area around Poland.  
> Thanks for all the kudos & comments on this work so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy it!


	6. NeoTenko and no trick magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hit another stump for a while while writing this one, so instead of complaining about everything before you even get the chance to read it, allow me to fill this space with some Danganronpa YT recommendations I've discovered during lockdown!  
> \- DRV3 Stupid With Love animatic by Cheerkitty (after writing Chapter 2, I learned to like MiuxKiibo, but after watching this I think it's too damn cute!)  
> \- OST remixes (Vetrom and Neraki have some good ones, and I also recommend the Masafumi Takada Mixtape by Mystery Ezekude)  
> \- Rap Battle: Tenya Iida vs Kiyotaka Ishimaru by Benderu (okay, it's in Spanish w/o subtitles, but my multilingual head can understand the gist of it...even though my knowledge of the Spanish language extends no further than a couple episodes of Dora the Explorer. Point is, it's a good video imo)

_NeoTenko  
_Tenko Chabashira, 19, first year undergraduate  
She is a sporty YouTuber and the founder of her own martial art – Neo Aikido – which she teaches through her channel, showing off her routines and other self-defence tutorials. She has a great following among young women in particular, but does tend to lose viewership whenever she publishes a rant video…especially since most of them are about men.  
\- mostly collaborates with females

* * *

_10 days until DanganCon…_

For Tenko, three nights out of seven per week were typically devoted to workouts. Thursdays were in the gym, Sundays were for sparring practice, and days like today, Tuesday 19th, had been for swimming lessons with her roommate. Finishing by half seven on a good day, the rest of the night would be spent either studying, getting dinner, preparing for videos, or like most of the time…

“Coffee and donuts at the pop-up? Sakura says she already has a table if we wanted to join her.”

“That sounds great! I’m in the mood for sweets after today’s lesson!”

She was lucky to have found two great women like them since coming to her university: her roommate Hina, and Hina’s best friend/her classmate Sakura. All three of them studied similar subjects – she and Sakura studied physiotherapy, Hina studied sports coaching – and the three were perhaps the most athletic girls on campus to boot.

Sakura was already established in the world of MMA, and her family owned a dojo. Hina was a world-class swimmer, on track for the Olympics even _before_ entering higher education. As for Tenko, she was the founder of her own martial art, Neo Aikido, which she teaches via YouTube. Better known for the YouTube half of that, let’s be honest, but an impressive feat for her age nonetheless.

With the two girls having changed out of their swimsuits and back into their regular clothing, they left the humidity of the locker rooms and went out into the chill of the sports centre’s lobby, their duffel bags over their shoulders.

“You’ve progressed so much since I started teaching you. It looks like you’ve become just as enthusiastic about swimming as I am!”

“Of course I have! If it weren’t for you as my master of the sea, I wouldn’t have been able to change at all!”

Hina scratched a finger against her cheek. “I’ve told you before not to call me that. It’s kinda over-the-top.”

“You think so? I think that name shows just how great of a teacher you really are! You should wear it proudly!”

Hina just laughed nervously, turning slightly red in lieu of an answer, until she spotted her best friend in the café.

“Hey, Sakura!”

Compared to the tracksuit-type attire the other two girls had changed into, Sakura waited for them both in a short white top, with what sleeves there were slightly ripped, and a navy skirt, her muscles on full display. She already had a box of donuts in front of her, and a protein coffee in her hand.

“Good evening Hina, Tenko.”

“You go ahead and sit down,” Tenko was already reaching for her purse inside her duffel. “I’ll get our drinks and bring them over.”

“Okay.” Hina shuffled through her jersey pockets. “I should have enough in--”

“No, no, I’ll pay for it! It’s the least I can do for my master of the sea!”

“Well…okay then. I’ll have a mint latte.”

Again, she found it pointless to question the nickname, and bounded over to the seat next to Sakura while Tenko joined the line at the counter. A couple of people were still in front of her, so she passed the time by checking her phone for anything she may have missed during her lesson. There were only two things: one message on the group chat and one private, both from Rantaro.

_Sorry about the delay, everyone, but I’ve got eight two-bed rooms booked for next week. Let me know who you wanna room with asap! (Sorry I couldn’t get individual ones btw, there are some things out of my control)_

And according to the private message, Rantaro seemed to have predicted exactly what Tenko was going to reply with:

_Don’t worry, I know you don’t want to room with any guys. Any girls in particular you want to partner with?_

She didn’t reply to him. Not because of her feelings towards men like him, but because she didn’t have an answer yet. Well, not exactly. She knew who she _wanted_ to room with…she just didn’t know if _she_ wanted to room with her. For now, she made a mental note to call her.

A few more minutes were spent waiting in line, and Tenko finally made it back to the girls’ table with a tray of drinks – Hina’s mint latte and a green tea. As she set them down and moved to the seat opposite them, Sakura held out the box of donuts to her.

“Would you like one?”

“These ones are amazing!” Hina exclaimed through a mouthful. “Where’d you pick them up anyway?”

“From a small shop in the town centre. I managed to go in this morning before my classes began, in order to get them for us.”

“Hurry up and take one, Tenko! Before they’re all gone!”

The flavours and decorations on each one looked like they came from a high-end confectionery store rather than a bog-standard shop. One type was a ring donut topped with raspberry icing and popping candy, another was apple flavoured with caramel sauce & biscuit pieces. The type that Tenko went for was a soy milk ring, its decorations made to look like a cute animal face.

She bit into it as she took her seat, her face glowing.

Hina laughed. “I know, right?” She then removed a small silver pouch from her pocket, tearing it open and emptying its contents into her coffee.

“Is that protein?” Tenko asked.

“Kinda. It’s matcha-flavoured collagen. It’s supposed to keep your skin & joints strong, and apparently reinforces the skin’s natural moisture barrier.”

“But why switch?”

“I’m only experimenting with them for now. The chlorinated water in pools can dry out the skin and affect our natural hydrators, so I’m trying out some new supplements for a couple of months to see if it has any real effect.”

“I see.” Tenko paused as she took another bite out of her donut. “Now you mention it, I think Sakura mentioned something like that too.”

She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. “There is a storeroom on campus that Hina has access to, which is filled with a range of similar supplements. Much more advanced than the sort you find on the street.”

“Even Proteinzyme-X drinks! Have you ever had one of those, Tenko?”

“I’ve heard people talk about its high-quality, but I’ve never tried it personally.”

“Then for our next workout, I’m bringing you some of it!”

The trio fell back into a silence as they returned to their refreshments, when Tenko spoke up again.

“All this talk of protein and supplements gave me an idea for a new video! I can try out some drinks mixed with them and look into their benefits!”

“Hm, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“And the two of you could help me with it! You seem to know more about them than I do!”

“I would be willing to lend a hand with it.”

“And here I thought teaching your Neo Aikido almost exclusively online was weird enough, now you’re adding detox plans to the mix?”

Anytime Tenko met someone new, she would tell them about her channel, and everyone would think the same thing – teaching a martial art, by yourself, perhaps 99% via a video-sharing website, seemed unnatural. Especially for rarer and newer ones like Neo Aikido. But she didn’t care, it just felt right for her. And not because it gives the art more publicity, like you might expect.

Since she’d started collaborating with other vloggers, she’d heard her fair share of stories behind why they started their channels – a place where Kaede could revisit some old pieces, a way for Kokichi to show DICE to the world, a platform for Kaito to share his love of the stars. Their motivations mostly ranged from personal to virtuous, but Tenko’s reason was more simple.

Put simply, the reason she taught her creation in this way, was because she loved and admired performers.

Her childhood dream had been to become a magical-girl-idol type figure – someone who could make people smile through their actions – and in her mind, managing her channel was the closest she came to achieving this. Even when in front of the camera, acting like herself, she still felt like a performer, entertaining and inspiring her audience, making them happy with her skills.

Speaking of which…

“People use coconut oil or cinnamon in this way, there’s also maca, plant protein…hm? Tenko? You still with us?”

“I’ll be right back! Convention business to attend to!”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

_no trick magic  
_Himiko Yumeno, 17, NEET  
“Stay magical, and I’ll see you in three months.” A sign-off that perfectly describes her channel. With a passion for magic, Himiko is a self-proclaimed master of the art, showing her viewers tutorials for tricks both basic and advanced. Matching her lazy & antisocial personality, she also has a liking for life hack videos and the occasional video game. You know, when she _actually_ feels like making them.

* * *

“It’s Kokichi! It’s Kokichi!”

Said player let out a faux gasp. “Moi?”

“Yes, you! I know it!”

“Oh fuck, Hajime’s bitten it already!”

“Because Kokichi sniped him from another building! I saw him in the window!”

“How so very dare you, Tetsuya.”

Team-ups like this were always chaos, especially when Himiko kept them within her usual circle.

Since she put a big emphasis on gaming, she tended to collaborate with the other gamers most often – Kokichi, Maki, Tetsuya & Miu – and that could be an armful. They may get along well enough off camera, but put them in a competitive situation like this and you get more salt than a sharing bag of tortilla chips. Even when she brought in outside channels, it took _some_ of the load off, but the expected amount of insanity persisted.

“Alright, well I just saw Chihiro shoot Tetsuya in the back.”

“Okay.” Maki’s character pulled out a handgun and landed a perfect shot to Chihiro’s character’s head. “I’ve got them. Chiaki, come over and check the body.”

“Alright. Where abouts on the map are you?”

But before she could head to their body, she and the rest of the players were met with a game over screen, displaying the words no player of this game wants to see: THE JESTER WINS.

“FUCK! You were the fuckin’ jester?!” Miu yelled down her mic, practically drowned out by Kokichi’s maniacal laughter.

“Wait, then who killed Hajime?”

“Himiko?”

She herself let out a small laugh as the arguing continued.

“I _tried_ to tell you, idiots! I said Him…and then got shot!”

“That wouldn’t have helped in any way.”

“Gah! Eat shit and die, you fuckin’ shota!”

“Eat shit and live, Miu.”

“Can you guys calm it down a little?” Himiko cut back in before things could get any worse between them. “You know I try and keep my uploads family-friendly.”

“Ever heard of censorship, Himiko? Besides, doesn’t inviting Miu directly oppose that idea?”

“ _Okay!_ Probably time to sign off before things escalate!” Tetsuya’s nervous voice came through, a slew of quiet swearing (directed at Kokichi) behind him. “Thank you for having us on your video, Himiko!”

“Thanks for agreeing to take part.” Thanks to his intervention, Himiko could dull out everyone else’s audio to wrap up the video. “Also to Hajime, Chiaki and Chihiro of Jabberwocky for joining this round of TTT. Remember to check out their Twitch and support their project. And thanks for watching another video, you guys.”

“Wait, we’re not seriously ending on a Jester round?!”

“Stay magical, and I’ll see you in three months.”

“Are you fu--”

She cut off her connection to everyone’s audio before Miu could give Chihiro a harder time.

Himiko made so few posts to her channel that she had more than enough time to edit all of her own videos, but most of those only involved one set of footage and the sound that came from her laptop; making something out of the same thing times eight was beyond her current capabilities. Hence the reason she hired Chihiro to edit the more complex videos for her, since their work at Jabberwocky didn’t make them enough money at the moment.

Her phone rang on her desk, but she ignored it for the time being, more focused on checking her footage from the last thirty minutes. The sooner she did that, the sooner she could email it to Chihiro, the sooner they could get started on the final video. Not that it would happen immediately – it was already past 7:30pm.

With everything in order, she put both files in an email and sent it off, getting a reply from them soon after. The usual “thank you for having me” and “I’ll get to work on it as soon as possible”.

Himiko’s phone buzzed on her desk again, probably the same person from before. Stashing her headphones away, she reached for her phone to answer, flipping the screen over.

“Ah. Tenko.”

It wasn’t like she hated her or anything. Nothing like that. It’s just she felt kind of…awkward around her. Since they first met one another, she’d had this strange fixation on Himiko and her magic, praising it like it was the greatest thing in existence. Well, it might well be, but that wasn’t the point.

And then there was the stark differences to their personalities. While Himiko was quiet, lazy and socially inept, Tenko was loud, impulsive and cheerful to the extreme. More often than not, Himiko would find herself becoming incredibly annoyed with her presence, which made it very difficult for her to bring herself to meet up with her.

Probably why most of their communicating was relegated to video calls and texting.

As the second round of vibrations finished and were quickly replaced by a third, Himiko sighed, slouching in her seat and pushing hair out of her face, and answered her phone.

“Hello…?”

“ _Himiko! How are you doing this evening?_ ”

“Nyeh…kinda tired. I’ve just finished a let’s play with seven other people.”

“ _How did it go? You don’t sound like you enjoyed yourself._ ”

 _This is how I always sound, Tenko_.

“It was just bothersome. Miu and Kokichi practically took over.”

Tenko tsked audibly. “ _Why would you even let that degenerate on your video?! And Miu too, for that matter?_ ”

“I dunno…I just needed enough people for the video.” She reached for the glass of water on her desk. “Is there any reason you’re calling me now? I really wanna go to bed early after all that.”

“ _Well, did you get Rantaro’s message?_ ”

“Prolly. Just haven’t read it yet.”

“ _He’s booked eight hotel rooms for our group, and everyone has to partner up to share them, and…well, I was wondering if you wanted to partner up with me?”_

No lie, Tenko wouldn’t have been her first choice.

Himiko was somewhat more distant than most of the others in their little circle, but she still knew enough about them to figure out who would go where. Tetsuya & Miu, Maki & Kaito, those were obvious enough pairings. And as much as she liked her, she didn’t think she’d be able to share a room with Angie for three days.

If she had her way, she probably would have chosen Kirumi. Not that she was particularly close to her, but because she was tolerable. Then again, if she hadn’t even read the message yet, chances were everyone else was already sorted.

So…what choice did she really have?

“Alright…if you insist.”

“ _Really?!_ ” She almost sounded surprised by her agreeing to this.

“I mean everyone else probably has partners already. May as well make it official.”

“ _That’s great! I’ll get back to Rantaro about it when I’m finished here!”_

“Finished?”

“ _Oh. Technically I’m meeting with my master of the sea and my classmate!_ ”

“Your…what? Whatever. So you abandoned them just to call me?”

“ _Okay, it sounds like a rude thing, but I haven’t spoken to you or even seen you in ages! I miss you! We don’t even collaborate on that many videos!”_

“No offence, but it would be ridiculous. Our styles are completely incompatible.”

“ _But aren’t most of them? Oh, hold on…I’m coming! Let’s try and call again before DanganCon, okay?”_

“Yeah…”

“ _Good night then! I’m looking forward to seeing you!_ ”

Tenko hung up, Himiko slouching further in her chair and tossing her phone onto her bed.

So now going to DanganCon, she had to look forward to: walking around a crowded convention centre filled with thousands of people for hours on end, for three days; a solo meet-and-greet that could go anywhere from half-an-hour to two hours; a mystery panel that would take up another hour; and spending all the time in between living and wandering around with her hyperactive…friend?

“Next weekend’s gonna be a real pain…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've seen that much content by Achievement Hunter, the game Himiko played had to be TTT.  
> Tenko's section was difficult for me to think of, and I only came up with the protein/supplement conversation after rewatching THH Chapter 4. Also, Tenko naturally has feelings for Himiko in this, and they're gonna have similar development as in the game, but I'm still not settled on the idea of making them a couple by the end. Let me know if you think I should go for it!


	7. Ryoma Hoshi and MaidCorp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...did NOT expect to cross 1000 hits after six chapters. Thanks so much to everyone who's read this, and everyone who reads this in the future!  
> Off topic, writing these two was difficult for me, hence the extra week. Also, there had to be at least one person who uses their real name for their channel name. Anyway, hope you enjoy ~~Backstory 2: Electric Boogaloo~~ this chapter!

_Ryoma Hoshi (@hoshigtg)  
_23, unemployed  
If you had told this man a few years ago that he’d go on to run a vlog, he would have scoffed. An exceptionally talented tennis player, he posts fitness videos and his own progress & records, with other videos serving as sources of encouragement & motivation for his watchers. Ryoma’s channel has amassed an impressive following in just two years, but the experiences on which it was created are nothing to scream about.

* * *

_6 days until DanganCon…_

The door unlocked, and the limited light from the hallway flooded into Ryoma’s dark apartment. It took a while for him to find the light switch on the wall, more so on account of his height, but he could still feel one of his pet cats nuzzling against his ankle.

The light eventually flickered on, revealing an almost-labyrinth of discarded shirts, plastic shopping bags bulging with trash, and whatever else he didn’t have the capacity to deal with, literally or mentally.

Stepping over all the little obstacles, he crossed through the entrance hall and into the main space of his apartment, towards the kitchen area. Snagging the TV remote off his sofa on the way past, he dropped his small shopping bag onto the worktop, aiming the remote over his shoulder.

As some late night talk show came to life behind him, Ryoma moved to a small gap between the wall & kitchen cabinets. Slotted into that crevice was a small stepladder, for whenever he needed to use the cupboards that were higher up. He retrieved it and set it up in front of the cupboard on the far right, before climbing up it and pulling down a cup of instant ramen.

Spicy lime shrimp. Not the nicest in his opinion, and he definitely had better flavours in his cupboards, but it’ll do.

He pulled another cupboard open to get a teacup down, set them both on the worktop and descended from the stepladder. It stayed where he left it. He flicked a switch on his kettle to boil some water, and went to sit on the sofa in the meantime, the cats already waiting on the left cushion as he dropped himself into the right.

Taking care of his pet cats was his greatest solace in life. He’d started with a Russian Blue (his personal favourite) called Misty, and had ended up with an extra four kittens, each named by one of his fellow collaborators – Rantaro named one of them Elvis, another one had the name Oreo chosen by Tenko, and Tsumugi had been adamant he call one of them Ue-sama. The fourth one still didn’t have a name yet.

Ryoma gently put the sleeping nameless kitten in his lap, picked up the remote again and started looking for something different to watch. Talk shows like this were tedious.

Let’s see…a game show. Pass. Medical drama. Pass. The news. _Definite_ pass.

A minute passed of him flicking through the channels until he eventually found something decent – an anime series about tennis players.

Oh, the irony. Today of all days.

Regardless, he left it on. Leaning back in his seat, he allowed himself to observe the players’ moves as though he were back on the court, rather than paying attention to the show itself.

Right now, the protagonist’s main strategy was to tire his opponent out, alternating which corner he knocked the ball towards with each hit. His technique then shifted away from that of a typical tennis match, his feet seeming to glide across the asphalt towards the centre, a trail of fire in their wake. As he neared the net, he performed a volley on the ball, the force from their gliding giving it extra speed, but not really making a counter all too difficult for the opponent.

The ball bounced, and the opponent caught it before it could reach its highest point and, making use of the protagonist’s proximity to the net, intended to send the ball flying to the back of the court. The protagonist, sensing this, intercepted the ball and sent it back towards the opponent, albeit equally as close to the net on his side. He was barely able to return it, his panicked state making him unable to even start to avoid a drop volley aimed directly at his face.

Moves like the ones shown in fiction, you _probably_ wouldn’t expect to see in real-life. But pulling off such techniques were actually things within Ryoma’s capabilities.

Back when he was in junior high school, he became recognised as an exceptionally gifted tennis player, winning match after match not only in Japan, but also on an international scale. His talents only grew as he entered senior high, becoming a prized commodity within their tennis club, and acting as a celebrated instructor in a local tennis club. There were even rumours of a potential sports scholarship at one of Japan’s top universities, even before graduating senior high.

It was fair to say, Ryoma Hoshi had it good.

Then, six years ago to the day, there had been a major underground tennis tournament, hosted by a small but influential mafia group. Sure, he’d tried to ignore the invitations at first, but they were relentless. One of those things you just can’t say no to.

He should have known better what he was getting into. Of course the matches were fixed. Of course people would be gambling on said matches. But by the time he realised this, there was no backing out. So he played along, right up until his final match – one that he was set to lose. When it came to that last game, he went against the hosts and completely crushed his opponent, destroying the mafia’s reputation in the process.

The follow-up was swift, and relentless.

Within mere hours, they went after his family, massacring every last one of them with no mercy. A target was painted equally as large on his girlfriend’s back – a young woman his age he’d met during a tournament in the States. Expecting the consequences, he’d been just as quick to get her to safety, but by the end of the next day, they’d caught and murdered her too, leaving Ryoma alone.

And Ryoma sure as hell wasn’t going to let that be the end of it.

Armed with several custom-made steel tennis balls, he went after this mafia group, hitting every member in the head with said balls and wiping out the entire group. The results: the nickname of Killer Tennis, arrest, and quite possibly the death penalty, despite only just being a minor at the time. Everything he had before – his family, his love, his future – all gone.

Or so he thought.

When the motives of his crime were made public, along with details of the mafia group and the extent of their activities, his Death Row conviction was heavily contested by the masses; conversely, there were just as many who felt the gruesome method of death couldn’t be overlooked either. The debate came to a head when a far larger yakuza syndicate spoke in favour of Ryoma’s actions, having had their own activities gravely threatened by this other group.

He’d spent three years of his sentence, a time he looked back on with immense disdain, when his sentence received a major change: first the potential death sentence was dropped to a provisional life sentence; then it was reduced to a lesser fifteen years in the wake of the debate; next thing he knew, someone had forked over the incredibly costly bail amount, and he was out on parole with community service. Normally someone would be relieved over such a revelation, but honestly, that part had been more of a blur to Ryoma than the massacre itself. Did freedom even have a purpose when he didn’t have anything left to return to?

No, he thought. But as some may argue, it always pays to have a little hope…

…

A noticeable warmth in the air drew Ryoma out of his trance and towards the kitchen area. No doubt the warmth had come from the kettle, but it had long stopped boiling.

Had he been lost in thought that long?

“Unlike me to be so sentimental,” he said to himself.

Sighing, he hauled his body out of his chair and towards the kitchen, boiling the water once more.

~ ~ ~

_MaidCorp  
_Kirumi Tojo, 22, self-employed  
If channels were graded on how efficient & accurate they were, MaidCorp would automatically be the best. An epitome of elegance, Kirumi balances the management of her lifestyle channel with her day job as a maid-for-hire, sharing her wide-range of skills – from the everyday to the more refined – with her fanbase. She’s taught many a person how to properly clean their houses, provides a plethora of recipes, and regales the Internet with genuine story times from her line of work.  
\- Simple Sunday for less complex dishes  
\- Hello Fresh sponsorships

* * *

_5 days until DanganCon…_

Kirumi delicately rapped on the door twice, the limited force enough to swing the unlocked door open. There was no visible sign of life from inside, but the sound of running water coming from a room on the right, indicated to her the occupant was home.

She noticed the hallway leading to the apartment’s interior was near impossible to walk through, spotting a small tripod, a pair of trousers, and even a toilet seat box amidst all the garbage bags. The state of it all was so cluttered, she didn’t immediately notice the handwritten note tacked onto the wall:

_I thought you might be coming over today, so left the door unlocked. Make yourself at home while you wait.  
\- Ryoma_

Even though she had time to get a head-start on him, maybe start preparing some tea for the both of them, it was evident to her that there were more important jobs to deal with beforehand. Instead, she stooped over and collected two of the garbage bags off the floor. Two bags in each hand, she walked back out of the apartment (rubbing Misty’s head on the way), pulling the door to with her foot, and made her way to the complex’s trash room.

Officially speaking, Ryoma wasn’t one of Kirumi’s clients, and her maidly personality meant her devotion to duty & service could carry over into _any_ of her personal interactions. But especially on a day like today, she felt it was necessary to provide Ryoma with more support than usual, in any way she could.

Discarding the bags in the skip bins, she quickly returned to Ryoma’s front door, again knocking the door twice. This time, she pushed the door open herself.

“I thought I said you could make yourself at home.”

Now finished in the shower, Ryoma was sat on his bed in grey sweatpants and a hoodie, a towel still covering his hair. Elvis was laying in his lap, a framed photograph noticeable on the bed beside him.

Kirumi slipped her heels off of her feet and set them beside the door, Oreo immediately scampering over and making it their mission to squeeze their body into one of them.

“Pull up a chair,” Ryoma pointed to his dining table, directly behind the sofa.

“Thank you, but I thought I could prepare us some refreshments for lunch first?”

“If you insist. Good luck finding something to use, though.”

He needn’t have worried: Kirumi already had the necessary provisions on hand. Reaching into the satchel draped over her shoulder, she set a collection of Tupperware containers onto the countertop, pulling a chopping board out of one of the cupboards.

“So, how have you been faring?” She asked in order to create conversation.

Ryoma shrugged, letting Elvis onto the floor. “Good enough, I guess. You?”

“I have been quite well, thank you.” She set a box of ginger tea on the worktop beside the kettle, turning it on. “If you’ll allow me to say so, you appear to be doing a lot better than I imagined.”

“You were probably expecting me to be brooding on the sofa, weren’t you?”

_Yes_ , she thought, but she daren’t say it out loud. Last year, that was exactly how he was acting that day, in the clothes he’d gone to bed in. The year before that – his first one out of prison – he hadn’t showered, eaten, or even gotten out of bed.

So yes, he _was_ doing far better than imagined.

“Are the clients getting any better on your end? The last I heard, you were kind of unlucky.”

Kirumi smiled, her hands dancing over the chopping board. “Thankfully I have yet to work for anyone…exhausting these last few months.”

“That has to be a relief.”

“While I do not wish to speak ill of any of my clients, it is good that I’m not having to deal with as many difficult ones. Of course, I would provide my utmost service regardless of their disposition.”

She took what looked like two panini rolls out of her satchel with one hand, removing the kettle from the boil with the other.

“The business really does seem to be taking off these days.”

“Is that really a surprise? I think if anyone saw what you do on your channel, they’d pay lumpsums to hire you.”

This time she didn’t reply to him, more focused on putting the finishing touches to what she was making. Ryoma took a sniff of the air as it came together.

“Smells good.”

“I have prepared some pulled pork sandwiches on panini bread, along with some ginger tea for the both of us.”

Kirumi set it all on a tray which she carried over to the small dining table, being sure to keep the leftover pork away from a very nosy Ue-sama. She stood beside her seat expectantly, waiting for Ryoma.

“Come on, Kirumi. You’re my friend here, not my maid. Sit down.”

Seeing that he wasn’t going to pull up a seat immediately, Kirumi obliged, watching Ryoma shuffle through his cupboards.

“Are you looking for something? Do you want me to assist?”

“Ah, no. Here they are.” He took out a plastic container with two cream puffs inside. “To go with our tea.”

“I wasn’t aware you enjoyed such foods.”

“I don’t normally go for them, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t like them.”

Opening the box, he set it on the table and slid into the seat opposite Kirumi.

“If you had made me aware of this earlier, I would have taken the time to prepare some myself.”

“You didn’t know. And even if you did…well, you’re great when it comes to that sort of thing, but it just wouldn’t be the same…”

Kirumi realised what he was implying. “Oh. I see. If I recall, your girlfriend used to do a lot of baking.”

“Yeah. Made me sweets all the time. You know that big confectionery company…uh, Ando’s, I think? Might sound kinda biased, but the sweets she put out rivalled their stuff.”

“They were that good?”

“If it weren’t for tennis, she could’ve worked for them. I mean, the company only started up while I was in prison so I never said that to her.”

He glanced down at his teacup.

“They really were amazing, every time. Some of the best stuff I ever tasted. I just regret I never actually told her.”

A silence passed over them both, Kirumi out of reverence, Ryoma out of reflection, the only sound resounding through the apartment being one of the kittens grunting softly. It was eventually broken with a light groan from Ryoma, rubbing his forehead.

“There I go again. My bad.”

“On the contrary. There is nothing wrong with meditating on your past. If it will help you, then I shall gladly lend an ear.”

“I appreciate the concern, but I’d prefer if we could talk about something else now.”

“Of course. My apologies, Ryoma. In that case…” she paused while considering a new topic of conversation, “who will you be staying with next weekend?”

“Whoever’s left over, I assume. I never actually got around to giving Rantaro an answer.”

“From what I’ve been told, I will be sharing a room with Kaede. She has invited me to spend the day with her the day before the convention, if you were interested in joining us?”

Ryoma took a sip of tea. “Sure. I don’t exactly have anything else planned for the convention yet. Well, except for that panel we’re apparently ‘required’ to attend.”

“It’s supposed to be a big announcement Rantaro wished to share with us all, but there’s also going to be a discussion from some members of our group.”

“I see.”

“Naturally Rantaro will be running it, but I believe Kaede and Korekiyo are set to talk on the panel as well. Will you be taking one of the remaining seats? I feel people could benefit from hearing about your…renewal on life, for lack of a better term.”

A couple of months following his three-year incarceration, Ryoma had met Kirumi. With his story still fresh in everyone’s minds, she had wanted to offer her assistance while he got re-accustomed to life outside of prison. He had refused for a long time, still unwilling to let people get too close to him, but eventually relented.

With the time they spent together, she became the first person in Ryoma’s ‘new life’ (if you omitted his parole officer), followed by the members of his old tennis club where he was doing community service. Over time he started to open up again, his fear of forming connections dissipating, but he still carried the burden of his actions as Killer Tennis on his shoulders. A weight he found too heavy to even share with Kirumi.

Ryoma shook his head at her suggestion. “I’ve had more than enough negative attention on me recently, and I don’t feel like bringing down the mood of the event with my life story. Besides, isn’t that what my channel was made for in the first place?”

It was actually her who had been the catalyst for his YouTube channel, as she had suggested he start one as a form of therapy, talking about his experiences and shining a light for, if not himself, other people.

Taking a bite out of one of the cream puffs, he leaned his head in his hand, glancing at the photo still resting atop his bed covers.

“Like you said before, I’m doing better these days, but I’ve still got a ways to go.”

Yet another silence fell, Ryoma becoming lost in thought once more. Normally, he wasn’t the type of person to act like this – while he may consider his past a burden, he didn’t ever reflect on it in this way.

Clearly, the day still loomed heavily over him.

“If you would prefer to be left alone, then I shall take my leave.”

“No.”

Kirumi paused as she was rising from her seat.

“I think having some company today would be the best thing for me. Besides…”

He glanced to where Kirumi’s shoes were sat in the hall, a large black & white ball of fluff still filling one of them.

“I think Oreo’s made himself at home over there. You’re probably gonna be stuck here for a while.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name Tsumugi came up with for one of the kittens is from Noragami: having not long finished the anime, I saw the opportunity and took it.  
> Only one person left before the convention begins! I'm going to double-time and _try_ to get it out next week...I want to finish this story before uni starts up again.  
> Stay safe wherever you are, and I'll see you next chapter!


	8. JustSaihara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a different format for this one, seeing as Shuichi's the only one left.  
> There's a brief mention of some E-rated stuff, but only in the context of the characters reading fanfic. Also, with all the talk of collaborations, I had to put them in _somewhere_.  
> I had a bit of a mental block when I reached the end of this chapter, but I'm still happy with how the overall piece turned out.

*CLICK*

Requested Video!: FMK (with Oni Sama and BlessedAngie)

“Okay, so although I take part in these kinds of videos with my friends, I don’t normally make this sort of content on my main channel. But, since you’ve really been requesting I make one of these, I hope you enjoy it!”

Following a quick animated title card, the scene switched back to Kaede’s bedroom, two other people sat on her bed behind her.

“Hello everyone, PianoBaka here! Here, I have with me BlessedAngie,” she beamed a smile and waved, “and Oni Sama, AKA Korekiyo,” he simply nodded, “and today we’re going to be doing something a little different than normal.”

Angie leaned close to Kaede. “How is that different? You’ve played this game with Angie before!”

“I know, but it’s different to my channel specifically. I’ve invited Angie and Kiyo to play a game of FMK, with a little bit of a difference. See, some of us have done an anime version with Tsumugi, a version within our little friendship group on Rantaro’s channel, but this time, I asked you to submit clusters of three random photos which we’ll use to play the game. Thanks to everyone who submitted something!

“It’s going to be interesting to see what we’re going to be playing with!”

“Hm? You haven’t checked them yet?”

“This game could get quite interesting if that is the case.”

*CLICK*

Galacti-roll: Reading your cringey fics

“‘Kaito discarded his black & red boxers onto their bedroom floor, and the sight of his throbbing member made Maki’s girlhood tremble with delight’…okay, that’s enough of that one.”

As Maki continued scrolling through the lists of works, her face a subtle shade of red, Kaito laughed into his arm.

“I know I should probably be disturbed by shit like that, but I can’t even take it seriously enough for that!”

“Let’s see what else is on this page…we have a blood kink fic, zero-gravity sex, double penetration…with Shuichi…by Miss Shirogane.”

The laughter only increased on Kaito’s end.

“I’ll kill her next time I see her,” she murmured, begrudgingly opening the fic in a separate window.

“Oh, wait, _To the Stars and Back_ , that one looks wholesome!” Maki right-clicked on the title as Kaito pointed it out. “Coffee shop AU with superpowers? Oh, wow.”

“I’m actually going to look at that later.”

“Yeah, it’s not cringey enough to look at here. Sorry, man, looks good though!”

“I honestly didn’t think we’d find one that quickly. I mean, up until now it’s been badly written smut and crack fics.”

“Why did we let you guys talk us into-- oh Go-- _The Quest for Uranus!_ ”

Both of them collapsed back onto the bed in hysterical fits of laughter, Maki even finding it difficult to catch her breath.

*CLICK*

Crushing Random S*** With a Hydraulic Press w/ PantaLord

“Heh, uh, sorry about that. Just had to make sure everything was still working.” Tetsuya looked away from the camera, a rag in his hand, towards Miu, who was stood behind the mini presser. “I thought you said it was empty!”

“Hey, don’t blame me! I just grabbed one out the trash!” She tossed the flattened soda can to the floor, frustrated.

“Oh, that was me,” said Kokichi, off-screen.

“You are _so_ lucky this camera still works…”

“I just wanted to make things more interesting. Nothing happened when you put the tennis ball under there last time…”

“It can’t really be helped if tennis balls are hollow on the inside.”

“Well _excuse me_ for wanting something to explode!”

“The only thing that will be exploding is your fuckin’ head if any of our equipment gets broken thanks to you!”

“Oh…which one, may I ask?”

“ _Anyway_ …”

Sensing things were about to get sour again, judging from the gradual dark red passing over Miu’s face, Tetsuya intervened.

“Moving onto the next ite--”

*CLICK*

Extreme ironing…a thing? (Ft. MaidCorp)

“Where do they even come up with the idea to do this?”

“It is rather baffling.”

“I mean, you have to wonder what kind of person it was who sat down to do their ironing and was…I don’t know, watching an action movie and thought to themselves, ‘hey, why don’t I combine the two? That would be fun.’”

“I understand it is irrelevant to the point, but not many people sit down when ironing.”

“Unless they were doing it in a…monster truck, I dunno.”

Kirumi laughed quietly. “I would not be surprised if we saw that during this event.”

“Me neither.”

The camera was turned back to where the current round was taking place: a deep public pool. The action would have been difficult to see if it weren’t for the camera feed going to the big monitor, showing a man in full scuba gear attempting to iron a shirt.

“Do you think you’d ever give it a shot?” Rantaro asked Kirumi.

The young maid put a hand under her chin while considering his question. “I am unsure. Of course the ironing part is easy enough, but the extreme additions appear to be rather impractic--”

*CLICK*

Shuichi closed the internet tab and switched off his laptop altogether, pushing his chair away from his desk.

~ ~ ~

_JustSaihara  
_Shuichi Saihara, 19, detective’s assistant  
Starting out his channel as a book-tuber, Shuichi loves a good mystery, both in novels and real life. Despite what you may see in some of his videos, he is in real-life a rather timid young man lacking in self-confidence, who finds solace in managing his channel and expressing his interests with the Internet. Such a mental state means he is always seen wearing a cap, and has never done a meet n’ greet. His content has since expanded into covering & debunking conspiracies, as well as the occasional upload addressing mental health.

* * *

_3 days until DanganCon…_

Of all the ways he could be preparing for the weekend, watching his friends’ videos felt like the worst possible way for him, especially when he hadn’t even packed his suitcase yet! Made worse by the fact that he had to arrive a day early to get settled.

That is, if he decided to go at all.

“Shuichi!”

A booming voice came from the hallway, followed by loud footsteps and a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

The door swung open, Shuichi’s roommate entering with a small tray in his hand. Despite him not having any classes today, Shuichi noted he was still in his overly-smart attire – white dress shirt, red tie and black pants – compared to Shuichi’s much more casual lounging get-up.

“I was unsure if you had eaten lunch yet, so I saved you some rice balls that I prepared earlier!”

Even though he had already eaten an hour ago, he felt himself starting to get hungry again, so took a couple of the rice balls and set them on his desk.

“Thank you, Taka.”

“No worries! Hm…”

His cheerful grin faded as he got a look around Shuichi’s bedroom, noting the open suitcase, not a single item packed into it.

“Unbelievable! We leave for Odaiba in two days, yet you have nothing ready! You have to work on your organisational skills, Shuichi! I expected better from you.”

“Wait, so you’ve packed already?”

Kiyotaka wasn’t a vlogger like him, but he’d put his weekend aside to volunteer at the convention as a sort of extracurricular.

“Of course I have! You don’t plan on leaving everything until the night before, do you?”

_The way things are going right now, probably…_

“If you needed a hand with getting your things together, you should have come to me sooner. We should get started immediately!”

“Thanks, but I still don’t know if I’m even going.”

His roommate’s expression softened a little at that. “I see. You still haven’t made up your mind.”

“I guess you could say that. I just have this looming…uncertainty about it all.”

Taka moved to sit on Shuichi’s bed. “On what foundation? Your videos are insightful, and have amassed a great following!”

At first, he’d been a simple book-tuber who mainly talked about mystery novels, later branching off into any other books with similar themes. After he started working with his uncle at his detective agency, it became an outlet for him to discuss more complex cases as a hobby – to be more specific, ones he likely wouldn’t have the authority or resources to investigate officially.

To be honest, he wasn’t even entirely confident in his observations – sure, the comments sections of those videos praised his deduction skills and the theories he presented, but there were already professionals who’d published entire books on the same topics.

“Sure…but…”

And especially when lined up with the rest of his little group, that lack of confidence increased fifteen-fold.

“It’s just, I’m not as passionate about it as the rest of the group are. I mean, I _am_ , but for most of them, managing their channel and making content is everything. Some of them would happily pursue it as a full-time thing, but I have a proper job going on the side. Not to mention all of them are way more popular than me. My presence is nothing compared to them.”

“You mustn’t belittle yourself, Shuichi, especially when you put in just as much effort as them!”

“I’m not. I know I try and put effort into what I do, but…”

“But nothing! Just because the circumstances surrounding your channel aren’t the same as the others, does that make your own efforts invalid?”

“No...”

“Precisely! Being uncertain about your place and where you want to take things in the future isn’t a problem, but you should never allow it to hold you back like this, nor should those uncertainties become reason to doubt your abilities!”

Okay, so Kiyotaka Ishimaru wasn’t the most sociably adept person in the world, nor did he have that great of an idea of what making YouTube videos was like. But when it was called for, Shuichi thought, he knew the right things to say.

“If you let yourself give up, then you can never really grow. Not just as a content creator, but also as a whole person. As long as you work to further hone the skills that go into your craft, it’s highly likely that those competencies will bleed into other aspects of your life! Not just the physical skills you use, but your mindset, too!”

His typically stern expression changed to a light smile. “I’ve noticed a difference between how you normally act and how you act when making videos. Your mood is a lot lighter, and you become more open with people, and that only gets stronger when you’re in the presence of your group of friends. I may not know an awful lot about any of them, but I’ve seen that they’re always looking out for you and supporting your endeavours…in all honesty, I am a little jealous.”

Shuichi still didn’t try and argue against him, allowing him to continue.

“All of them clearly bring the best out of you and your talents when you work together, and that’s all that matters to them. These collaborations aren’t a matter of popularity, but rather one of mutual support for likeminded people, and that’s exactly how you should be looking at this – rather than a ‘more talented’ group to compare yourself to, a way to expand your horizons and strengthen your prospects! So don’t back out before you’ve even tried, else you’ll never be able to unleash your true potential!”

There was a continued silence as Shuichi’s brain worked on digesting all of Taka’s lecture, until the latter’s expression changed again.

“Damnit! Why didn’t you tell me I was rambling again? Forgive me!”

“Actually, I don’t mind. All of that helped lift the mood a little, but I’m still…”

Still riddled with doubt, and with no idea how to properly articulate it to his roommate, Shuichi pulled the visor of his hat down, further obscuring his features.

“Do you want to talk about what exactly is bothering you?”

Shuichi opened his mouth to answer, when his phone started to vibrate on his bedside table. He couldn’t see the caller ID from where he was sat, though.

“Um, maybe after this?”

“Of course! Whenever you feel like it, I’ll be happy to lend an ear!”

Kiyotaka left the room as Shuichi went to answer his phone.

“Hello, Shuichi speaking.”

“ _Hey! It’s Kaede_.”

One bout of optimism after another…Shuichi was starting to get the feeling that the universe _really_ wanted him to be at this convention.

He may not see as much of Kaede compared to other people in their group, based on their different video topics, but they were still one of those pairs who appeared to have a closer bond.

“Hi, Kaede. How are you doing?”

“ _Excited! Obviously! What about you?_ ”

“Yeah…I’m alright, I guess.” His tone of voice was definitely betraying him, and even without seeing him in person, Kaede caught on.

“ _No, you aren’t, Shuichi. What’s the matter?”_

Sighing, he dropped himself into his desk chair. “I’m just…still trying to decide whether to go to DanganCon or not.”

Kaede made a small noise of surprise. “ _Really?_ ”

This wasn’t the first time this issue had come up between the two of them. Almost a month ago when everyone got their Ultimate passes, and even before then, Kaede and Rantaro noticed how he was the most anxious about the convention than anyone, not to mention this plan the two of them had afterwards. It had taken him a long time to actually bring it up to either of them.

“ _I mean, I know we’ve talked about it before, but is there any specific reason why? There probably is if it’s still bothering you._ ”

Yes, he’d just been talking about his main woes with Taka, but wasn’t too keen on bringing them up to Kaede. Especially because she was a part of the group.

“I don’t know…I guess, well, this idea you and Rantaro had, I don’t even know anything about it. I know you both want it to be a big surprise for everyone, but I’m still a bit anxious.”

“ _Ah, I think I get it! You just want to know what you’re getting into, right?”_

“Something like that.” He messed with his hat a little more, still not wanting to involve Kaede with his bigger issues right now. “Anyway, not that I don’t appreciate it, but why exactly are you calling so close to the event?”

“ _I actually had an invitation for you. I’ve got plans the day before Dangan – Thursday – to go and watch a movie with Kirumi & Ryoma, and thought you might want to join us. You know, to ease the nerves.”_

“Might that be a bit too…awkward? Don’t get me wrong, those two get on really well with each other, but they’re more reserved with the rest of us. And then when you put me in with you guys…”

“ _Don’t be silly! It’s been a while since most of us have seen each other, so we wont be stuck for conversation!”_

Shuichi opted not to tell her that the awkwardness he was referring to was related to all of their antisocial personalities, rather than not being able to find anything to talk about. As great a person as she was, there were times she could be oblivious to certain things.

Apparently, the time he’d been leaving Kaede without any form of a response was longer than he’d thought, as he heard her sighing.

_“Listen, Shuichi. I don’t know what_ exactly _it is that’s got you so worried, but unless you come along and see for yourself, you’ll never know whether it’s for you or not. Besides, it’s not like you’re going to be with people you don’t know.”_

“I know that. It’s just…complicated. Like, I don’t know how to put it all into words.”

Somehow sensing his tension rising, Kaede cut back in. “ _Tell you what. Come with us on Thursday, and then if it’ll make you feel better, why not walk around the convention with me for the first day? It’ll be more fun if you’re with a friend, right?”_

“Well, yeah.”

“ _And then, after the whole weekend, if you_ really _don’t want to get involved, then that’ll be okay, because at least you heard us out! Besides, if you don’t at least give it a shot, you’ll never know whether or not it’s something for you. Okay?_ ”

He went quiet. _Just like Taka had said._

“Alright then. I’ll give it a try.”

“ _Great! I’ve gotta run now, so I’ll let you know when we’re all meeting up later on. I’ll see you on Thursday, and don’t be a stranger in the meantime!”_

“Yeah, okay. See you later.”

He dropped his phone onto his desk as he hung up, pulling his hat down once more – this time, in thought.

Shuichi still knew barely anything about what the two had planned, and for that very reason, he could tell it was going to be something big. Another issue if he decided to get involved – what with his detective job, he already had a lot on his plate outside of the channel. Would there be any point in signing up for it if he wasn’t able to fully commit? And if he _did_ give it a shot and had to back out because of that, how would it affect his relationship with everyone? What if they hated--

He had to stop himself from hitting himself in the face.

What was he thinking? There’s no way they’d do that! It was exactly like Taka had said before: they were his friends, they all wanted the best for him, even if he wasn’t as close to all of them. As long as they were there to support him, it gave him the spirit he needed to keep moving.

And just like Kaede, he knew none of them would be happy to hear he wanted out.

_There really is no way of getting out of this, is there?_

Sighing in resignment, Shuichi hauled his suitcase onto his bed.

“Hey, Taka, mind giving me a hand in here?”

~ ~ ~

SALT & PEPPER DINER PRANK w/ JustSaihara and Ryoma Hoshi

“So we’re onto our sixth ‘What’s New Pussycat’ out of seven, and then the _real_ chaos will get started!”

The three boys/men were huddled into a small booth in an American-style diner, the camera providing a perfect view of the jukebox – not a fully electronic one like in most modern leisure spots, but an older one.

“So wait, how many plays did you pay for?”

“Twenty. I couldn’t do twenty-one like the original skit, but it’s enough.”

“I still don’t understand what exactly the purpose of this prank is,” Shuichi said.

“Easy! We just have to wait and see how many plays it’ll take for someone to unplug it. Or better still, put a fist through the screen!”

Ryoma rubbed his head. “Honestly, if it weren’t for the earplugs, _I’d_ be the one doing that.”

“That’s exactly why I provided-- oh crap!”

The view quickly changed to an angled shot of Ryoma & Shuichi’s legs.

“What?” Shuichi asked.

“Waitress incoming! Food’s here!”

“Does that really warrant hiding the camera?”

“They’re gonna figure out we’re the ones doing this if I don’t hide it!”

“Sure. Because the group of kids sitting in a _secluded booth_ with a perfect view of the jukebox isn’t suspicious at all.”

*CLICK*

Tsumugi’s Happy Hour #2 – JustSaihara & Luminary of the Stars

“I mean, since Kirumi started doing something similar with desserts on her channel, and because you all seemed to like when I did this with Himiko last time, I thought I’d do another mixology video! This time, with Shuichi and Kaito!”

Kaito grinned, showing a thumbs-up to the camera, with Shuichi awkwardly waving.

“So, um, how does this work?”

“Are we just gonna be making random drinks or…?”

“Nope. I’m gonna be using my bartending skills to try and craft a themed drink for each of you based on your personalities. Kaito’s I’ve got a good idea for already.”

Said person glanced towards something just out of view of the camera, some kind of photo. “Are you gonna try and recreate that?”

“Yep!”

“That looks so cool! How can you even make a galaxy coloured drink like that?”

“It’s hard, but doable. I’ve made these a few times at university, and trust me, they’re great!

“As for Shuichi, hmm…there should definitely be some coffee in there, but I don’t yet know what else to include to make it better…”

“I mean, a little alcohol never killed anyone!”

“But I’m still underage.”

“Besides, I want to focus on virgin creations in this series.”

*CLICK*

Ski Trip to Niseko w/ the New Squad! (VLOG)

A pan over the room showed all fifteen people in Rantaro’s new friendship group, sat at a large table and clad in yukatas. Some of them, like the large entomologist Gonta and the young prankster Kokichi, were deep in an enthusiastic conversation with one another. Another member eager to make friends, athlete Tenko, was attempting to talk to the magician girl Himiko, who looked too tired to accommodate her.

For a long time, it was hard to pick up on one single conversation, until a jump cut to once the dinner was finished, numerous piles of dirty plates covering the table.

“Hey Ryoma!” Kaito leaned across the table. “When we’re done here, whaddaya say you and me have a game?”

“Hm? A game?”

“There’s table tennis in the _ryokan_ ’s game room. I’m in the mood for a match against one of the greatest!”

“I dunno,” Miu said, “I think you’re still a fuckin’ long way off from beating him!”

“I didn’t ask your opinion! I’ll face him if I want to!”

“Kind of a strong reaction, Kaito,” Tsumugi said.

“He’s merely frustrated because Miu beat him at table tennis before dinner.”

“Well just wait until we get to the arcade games. I’ll show you the true talents of Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars!”

Maki placed a hand on his shoulder in mock sympathy. “Don’t lie to yourself.”

Not focusing on the bickering, Ryoma glanced to Kirumi beside him.

“I say you give it a try. I doubt everyone here has seen what you can do.”

He adjusted his usual hat. “Alright then. If you insist. But I at least want to give you a fighting chance, so why not play doubles? Also as a way to commemorate the occasion.”

“Yeah, I like the sound of that!” Kaede beamed. “And after that one, the rest of us can take part as well!”

“Okay then, doubles it is! So, who’re you choosing?”

“Kirumi?”

The maid smiled. “I will do my best.” The two of them shared a weirdly out-of-character high-five.

“As for me…” Kaito glanced around the table.

“I’d rather I don’t take part in this first match,” Tetsuya said, holding his hands up nervously. “I don’t have any real athletic skill, even with something like table tennis.”

“Eeny, meeny, miny…Shuichi!”

The sudden declaration startled the young man, who had barely said a word all night. “What?! Why me?”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you watching us from the sidelines all this time. What’s got you down?”

He went quiet for a moment, only continuing when he realised not everyone’s attention was on him. “I’m just still feeling a bit nervous. I still don’t really know any of you guys that well.”

“That’s exactly why I invited you all out here this weekend,” Rantaro added. “You’ve all worked with someone here at least once, so why not form more links with other similar people, you know?”

“And doing an activity like this is a sure-fire way to get you involved with the rest of us!” He threw an arm over Shuichi’s shoulder, the rough movement skewing his hat a little bit. “Whaddaya say?”

“Well…I’ll give it a shot. I probably won’t be that good, though.”

“Don’t talk like that! If you’re partnered with me, there’s no way we’ll lose!”

Sat opposite the two guys, Angie brought her hands together in prayer. “Atua, please lend Shuichi Your strength, so he may be led to victory!”

“And so that flower-garden brained idiot’s pure lack of skill won’t make him lose.”

Miu and Kaito launched into another word war over the table, Angie laughing despite everyone else’s frustration.

And despite himself, Shuichi couldn’t help but release a small chuckle.

…

Another jump cut showed the whole group this time, Rantaro standing up at the head of the table, a can of soda in one hand.

“Alright, everyone! I just want to say, first of all, thanks to everyone for coming here. To be honest, I didn’t think this vacation would work as well as it has so far, especially since I’ve never done any big trips with you guys before…”

“Bullshit! You took Kaito on a stargazing vacation in Tenerife last month!”

He grinned. “Don’t be jealous.”

“But I’m glad to see everyone getting along. So,” he held his can up in the air, “here’s to the rest of the weekend, and whatever crazy things we may make together in the future. I look forward to being able to call you guys my friends after this.”

Everyone else raised their drinks.

“To the future!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a comparison, I imagine Shuichi's channel being kind of like Dominic Noble (in terms of the book-tuber stuff).  
> I put Taka in this partially because I like the idea of him & Shuichi being friends/roommates, but also because I want to practice writing him for my other fic ~~self-plug~~. I'm not tagging any more additional characters after him, since there's probably gonna be way too many during the convention chapters.  
> BTW, I'm tempted to write _To The Stars and Back_ when I've finished this story...but you will never in a million years convince me to write _The Quest For Uranus_.  
> Thanks for continuing to read this story, and I'll see you at DanganCon...


	9. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I hit a stump trying to come up with ideas this one, but at the very least the convention events start happening from the next chapter onwards, so that should provide better motivation for me! Hope you enjoy.

_The day before DanganCon…_

The winter weather may have been making things colder in Tokyo, but the sun was still shining over the city. Even though the bus was still a distance from the convention centre, there was a noticeable excitement in the air, becoming stronger still as Shuichi caught a glimpse of the convention’s banner:

_Gento Hashimoto welcomes you to  
The Fourth Annual DanganCon 20XX (29th November – 1st December)  
_Sponsored by Funplane and Blue Ram

This was really happening. He was actually at his first DanganCon. His first _ever_ convention.

The nerves were still present, sure, but the excitement was truly contagious. And he hadn’t even got within 500 metres of the building yet! No wonder this event had gotten so popular so quickly.

The journey hadn’t been as tedious for Shuichi and Taka as it would be for some of the others, seeing as they both lived in the same prefecture. All it took was a train ride to Odaiba and then another bus to the hotel.

And what a sight it was to behold!

“Is this…is this where we’re going to be staying?! It’s huge!”

“Surely the entire convention staff must be lodging here!”

Both men descended from the bus as it pulled up outside the hotel, suitcases in hand, with Shuichi rummaging through his trouser pockets to find his check-in information. In the meantime, Taka was still in awe over the size of the building.

“Whenever you see him, send Rantaro my sincerest thanks for paying for my accommodation!”

“I will. And before you say, don’t worry about paying him back.”

“But I feel bad for it! I hardly even know the man!”

“It’s really no trouble, I guarantee.”

“Oh, there you are!”

Running out of the hotel, sunlight bouncing off of her signature musical note hairpins, was Kaede. She barrelled straight towards the two young men, throwing her arms around Shuichi. The sudden movement almost sent him to the floor, but succeeded in making his face turn beet red.

“It’s so good to see you again, Shuichi!”

“Y-yeah, you too, K-Kaede…”

To fit the cold weather, she was dressed in a pink turtleneck jumper with a magenta cardigan over the top, and a pair of white leggings covered her legs.

“Are you feeling any better today?”

Still flustered, Shuichi just nodded, Kaede only now acknowledging Taka behind them.

“Oh, hi! You’re Shuichi’s roommate Taka, right?”

“You must be Kaede Akamatsu!” He extended a hand, which Kaede shook with as much vigour as him. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!”

“I heard you’re working with security and stewarding this weekend. Maybe we’ll have the chance to talk at some point?”

“We’ll have to see.”

“For now though,” her attention returned to Shuichi, “we have to decide what exactly it is we’re going to do today! The others are waiting in the foyer!”

“Um, okay. I’ll see you later, Taka.”

He waved over his shoulder as Kaede dragged him into the hotel foyer. She let go of his hand as they got to the front desk, giving him the chance to sign in, and ran to join Ryoma & Kirumi to wait.

Ryoma had his usual horned beanie hat covering his shaved head, wearing a long-sleeved black t-shirt and dark jeans. Stood behind him, Kirumi’s outfit of choice was drastically less elegant than her usual wardrobe – a black & white hooded varsity jacket, grey leggings with a spiderweb pattern, and a black hairband in her hair.

With key card and paperwork in hand, Shuichi stepped away from the desk and approached the waiting trio to greet them properly.

“Hey there, you two.”

“Good morning, Shuichi. How are you today?”

“I’m good. You?”

Both of them simply nodded as a response.

“Okay, you guys!” Kaede clapped her hands together. “We can set off in five minutes for the movie theatre. That way, we can get some lunch from the food counter, or find a nice place in that area.”

“That sounds good. Just let me find my room and drop my bag off.”

Ryoma jumped out of the chair he’d just been occupying, and looked at the key card in Shuichi’s hand. “Looks like we’re sharing. I’ll show you where we are.”

“Do you need an extra hand getting your bag to your room?”

“Um, no thanks. We’ll be right back.”

As the two men headed towards the corridors of hotel rooms, Kirumi looked over to Kaede.

“So, do you know what sort of film we will be watching?”

Her face showed a sheepish expression. “Well, actually…I don’t really know what sort of film everyone would agree on, so I thought we’d just wait until we got there. That way, there wouldn’t be any awkwardness while watching it.”

“I see. Well, I will have no complaints whatever genre we decide on, although I have a preference for action movies personally.”

“That’s…unexpected for you.”

~ ~ ~

“Come on…where the hell is it? It can’t be _that_ far away from the main hall!”

As soon as they’d arrived in the city, Maki had wanted to park the car and get settled in the hotel room before she and Kaito did anything else. However, thanks to the third passenger in the backseat, she’d ended up driving straight to the convention centre. Even though the main convention hall didn’t open until tomorrow, there was still one event that night being set up.

“I knew we should have dropped our bags off first. Do you really need us to come with you?”

“Not really, but this is for you two! Well, mostly Kaito.”

“As long as it doesn’t take too long. I wanna catch up with the rest of our group!”

“Ah, there’s the one!”

Rather than the expansive space of the main hall, the room Leon was dragging his friends to was still big in retrospect, but more like a nightclub. Plenty of floorspace with pillars all over the place, circular tables embedded into them, and a large stage at the far end. A couple of people were walking around the stage preparing equipment, until one of them – a rather loudly-dressed young woman – laid eyes on the trio in the doorway.

“Leon! What’s up!”

“Hey! Ibuki!”

The woman, Ibuki, bounded over to the aspiring musician, offering a double high-five high and low (…quadruple high-five?) that he reciprocated eagerly.

“Ibuki almost thought you weren’t coming!”

“Hell no! Wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world! Oh, yeah, happy birthday for yesterday! I’ve got the present in the car somewhere.”

“Thanks!”

Leon turned back to his friends, gesturing to Ibuki.

“Kaito, Maki, this is Ibuki Mioda, another rock musician on the YouTube scene, and she’s also the one who found those throwing knives I gave you.”

“Sure, this is Ibuki’s stage for now, but she’s always looking to branch out from there and hit the big time!”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Maki extended her hand, “and thanks for the knives. They look really cool.”

She returned the handshake roughly, almost ripping Maki’s arm out of the socket.

“So Leon, what did you mean by ‘mostly for me’?” Kaito asked.

“You and the rest of your group have a panel of some sort, and probably a bunch of other meet and greets. I thought I’d get you two into rehearsals to meet some of the other musicians! Kaito especially mentioned he wanted to meet people.”

“And any friend of Leon’s is a friend of Ibuki’s! Everyone else is cool with it, so take all the time you want! Come on!”

Ibuki led the way, Kaito hanging back briefly to nudge Maki, a wide grin on his face.

“I fucking love the Ultimate Pass!”

The couple ran up to the other two as Ibuki continued to lead them to the stage. The duo currently setting up their equipment gave them a look as they approached, but said nothing.

“So Ibuki,” Maki asked, “who else is performing in this concert?”

“Ibuki’s performing, obviously. Unfortunately, she’s forced to share the stage with her old rival group, Black Cherry. Leon’s got a quick solo set, _and_ a spot playing for Sayaka Maizono herself! It was hard to make it happen, but the way Leon was begging, how could Ibuki refuse?”

“Ibuki!” Leon shoved her as she let that slip, the musician chuckling.

Maki leaned in to him. “Is that the only reason why you wanted to get a set?”

“Nngh…you know I’m looking for more contacts to boost my rock career, so I wanted to take part anyway. But when I found out Sayaka was a headliner, how could I not want to do it? She’s like a goddess in the idol scene!”

“Anyway, who else is there?”

“Uh, there’s an up-and-coming group called Melody Rhythm, and the Monk Idol Momomichi Ito!”

“Kind of a weird mixture of genres, don’t you think?”

“Well isn’t that what DanganCon’s all about? Variety? Besides, there aren’t too many acts, just a warm-up for the pre-party later tonight! You two gonna be there?”

“I _wanna_ go! Maki Roll over here isn’t too sure, though.”

“Parties like that aren’t exactly my thing, especially ones that go through the night into the morning.”

“Ibuki thinks Maki should give it a chance! If the rest of your friends join you, you can catch up with them before the big event!”

“Hey, now you mention it,” Leon asked the two of them, “wasn’t one of your other friends supposed to be performing tonight? Uh, Kaede Akamatsu, wasn’t it?”

~ ~ ~

“And here’s your key card, sir. Enjoy your stay here!”

“Thank you.”

It was that time of day when more guests – mostly special guests of the convention – would have arrived at the hotel, evidenced by the bustling lobby. For now, though, Korekiyo wasn’t eager to interact with any of them. There would be more than enough time for that during the convention proper.

Instead, he positioned himself next to a pillar and double-checked all of the paperwork in his hand.

“Room 105…”

“Hey, that’s Gonta’s room too!”

Before he even realised Gonta had appeared behind him, Korekiyo was scooped up off the floor and squashed into a bear hug by the large entomologist. The shock on his face was hidden by his mask, even though his eyes were visibly wide and bulging.

“It’s so good to see you again, Korekiyo!”

“L-likewise…” he rasped.

“Woah, it’s only been ten seconds and you’re already trying to kill him? No wonder I don’t see you collaborating that often.”

The other two (Korekiyo still squashed against Gonta’s chest) looked over to the source of a third voice. With one hand behind his head and the other holding his coat and suitcase, was Kokichi.

“Ah, Kokichi!” Gonta’s excitement built again. Dropping Korekiyo back to the floor, he ran for Kokichi and, despite the young boy’s attempts to evade him, pulled him into another tight bear hug. “It’s been such a long time!”

“Y-yeah…put me…down…!” he forced out, more annoyed than anything else.

“While I can appreciate your enthusiasm,” Korekiyo said, straightening his clothes and hair, “you are acting a little too forceful with it. It already looks like Kokichi might pass out.”

It was only then he noticed the blue colour spreading on Kokichi’s face.

“Ah! Gonta’s sorry!”

He let him down on the floor with an apologetic smile, one that Kokichi didn’t return, more focused on catching his breath.

“How have you both been faring?” Korekiyo asked.

“Gonta’s been doing great!”

“Fine, I guess. School’s getting to that point where the teachers are on your ass every ten minutes, but pretty good otherwise.”

“What about you, Korekiyo?”

“Yes, things have been rather interesting for me recently.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kokichi said, “Rantaro said you both came back from Novoselic recently.”

“That sounds fun! What was it like?”

“Any bit as weird as everyone says it is?”

“Perhaps ‘weird’ is not the correct word. That said, its prevalent customs are rather…eccentric.”

While the three continued talking about their recent experiences, they didn’t notice a fourth group member approaching them from behind. With the guys’ backs turned, they had a prime opportunity to tackle the closest one of them – Gonta – from behind. Even though his size meant it was less of a tackle and more jumping onto his back.

“Ya-ha! It’s good to see you again!”

“Angie!” Gonta spun around in order to hug her properly, for once not receiving any complaints about the unintentional harshness behind it.

“That makes four people. Anyone else hiding in the vents waiting to jump out?”

“Hmm, doubt it. Tsumugi’s got her key to our room but she’s in a creator chat right now.”

“I believe Miu and Tetsuya are as well.”

“And Kaede went to the movies with a few people.”

“Rantaro’s checked in, but doing a magazine interview. Lucky.”

“Then if everyone else is busy,” Angie stooped down to pick up her bags, “why don’t we spend some time in the pool and catch up?”

The three guys exchanged a look, before smiling and exchanging nods.

“I like the sound of that idea.”

“We should go and quickly get our swimsuits on then!”

“No problem for Angie; she _always_ wears a swimsuit.”

* * *

The pool area wasn’t too crowded, but still not as empty as Angie would have liked. At the very least, she was able to take over the jacuzzi for everyone, whenever they returned from their rooms. She’d been able to head straight for the pool area, seeing as, just like Kokichi said, she already had a swimsuit on under her travel clothes.

With the boys taking longer than expected to emerge from their rooms, Angie leaned back against the jacuzzi and closed her eyes, turning the bubbles on, and soaked in the warmth of the water. It was almost like she hadn’t left her island home.

“Angie? You’re here, too?”

She immediately recognised the tired voice, spotting Himiko as she opened her eyes, Tenko stood close behind. Both of them were in bikinis – Himiko’s red with a skirt bottom, Tenko’s a normal style in dark blue.

“Ah, Himiko! Tenko!”

She jumped out of the water and pulled the girls in for a hug, almost knocking them both into the bubbly water.

“Looks like the travelling hasn’t worn down _your_ MP at all…”

“It’s good to see you again, Angie!”

The three settled into the water again, Himiko sat in between the other two girls, Tenko opting to increase the intensity of the bubbles.

“My, you both seem well! How have you been?”

Himiko rubbed her eye. “Meh, same as usual…”

“Brilliant! Tenko’s been learning how to swim, so I’ll be more than ready if we move to the pool!”

“That’s wonderful!”

“How was your journey to Japan?”

“Marvellous! Angie knew nothing bad would happen, since Atua was watching over our plane the whole time!”

“Of course he was,” Tenko murmured sarcastically under her breath.

Having not heard the remark, Angie released a laugh of pure happiness. “You know, Angie’s glad that she found you two so quickly!”

“Nyeh?”

“It’s just, Angie was wondering if you wanted to walk around the convention with her tomorrow? There’s so much we need to catch up on!”

Tenko averted eye contact with Angie as soon as she said this, trying to hide her frustration. _Ugh, it was supposed to be just Himiko and me!_

Nothing against Angie – the other girls were her friends too, after all – but Tenko spent way less time with Himiko than any of the others as it was – she needed the convention time to get to know her better. And in all honesty, there were time where she still found herself weirded out by Angie’s occasional religious tirades.

“Tenko isn’t so sure. Besides, aren’t you manning a vendor stall for most of the weekend?”

“Angie’s only doing that in the mornings now, so I still has plenty of time to explore! Atua’s informed me of how much there is to see at DanganCon every year, and it’s His will that I find all of it!”

“I mean…if you want to, I don’t see how I can stop you,” Himiko said. “Tenko?”

_Nngh…_ she really wanted to say no. Was it selfish? Yes, but she loved Himiko, damnit!

But then again, she _was_ already sharing a room with her. And it wasn’t like Angie was replacing her. _And_ she’d only be joining up with them in the afternoon. That seemed like plenty of time, now that she thought about it, so forced herself to drop the negative thoughts from her head entirely.

“Sure…why not…?”

“Yay! That’s great!”

“Hey, Angie,” Himiko slouched in the water, “I heard you’re moving to Japan for a while after this. Anything to do with this thing Rantaro’s doing?”

“Something like that. Hey, what do you think he’s planning anyway? Angie’s mostly drawing blanks, but Atua’s been feeding some ideas of His own. There’s a possibility that…”

Angie continued rambling at both girls about all the guesses she had about what could be happening. Himiko seemed perfectly content letting her do so without contributing anything, with Tenko doing the same as her mind continued to calm down. Eventually, she too fully relaxed in the hot tub, letting her mind wander to numerous ideas of what was awaiting the group over the next few days…

…when a degenerate dropped themselves between her & Himiko, putting an unwanted arm over both of their shoulders and (un)intentionally splashing them.

“Himiko! Tenko! It’s _so_ good to see you again!”

“Kokichi…” Tenko barely held in her annoyance, eye twitching.

“Oh, only you?” Angie leaned around Himiko’s head to ask. “Where are the others?”

“Gonta’s using the bathroom first, and Kiyo’s probably looking for his swimming mask or whatever.”

“There’s no way he wears a mask at the pool,” Himiko stated.

“He wears one for everything else – eating, drinking, sleeping…”

“Tenko doesn’t know what he’s hiding under that thing, but it looks shifty…even now he still creeps me out.”

“But I guarantee he won’t be wearing one here.”

Kokichi smirked. “You wanna bet on it?”

“Himiko, don’t stoop to his level!”

Tenko’s argument went ignored. “Sure. 2,000 yen that he doesn’t wear a mask for swimming.”

“You’re on!” Kokichi and Himiko shook hands to affirm their bet, as Gonta appeared on the edge of the jacuzzi.

“We’re here! Sorry to keep you waiting, Angie! Oh, and Himiko, and Tenko!”

“Hi Gonta,” Himiko held a hand up as though waving, while Tenko offered a polite nod.

“When did you two get here?”

“Only a few minutes ago. I wanted to get some sleep after travelling but Tenko insisted we come down here first.”

“I thought I might be able to show off how much I’ve improved my swimming to Himiko! But Angie just so happened to already be here.”

The artist waved at Gonta. “Come on! Stop standing on the sidelines and get in the water with us!”

Angie shuffled closer to Himiko in order to make extra space, Korekiyo coming into view as the larger man dropped into the jacuzzi. He wore a simple dark green speedo, his long hair pulled into a bun, and…

“Tch.” Himiko held a hand out, two thousand yen notes having appeared into her palm, Kokichi snatching them up gleefully.

“Thank you~!”

“See? Tenko always told you people! Himiko _is_ magic!” Her eyes were practically glowing over her display.

“More like she just had some cash stuffed down her bikini top.”

“No one asked you!”

~ ~ ~

As other people came and went past him, Ryoma stared up at the screen displaying the different film titles, still no clue as to what everyone was going to watch: Kirumi wasn’t an anime fan, Kaede didn’t like horror, and Ryoma _hated_ action movies. Comedy was a hit-or-miss genre in his mind, which left little else based on the current selection.

At least he wouldn’t have to look by himself for too long, as the other three returned from the food counter, all carrying drinks, hotdogs and popcorn between them.

“Find anything, Ryoma?”

“Nope. It’s gonna be difficult to find one movie to satisfy everyone’s tastes.”

“Oh, wait! There’s one we might like!”

She pointed to the second title on the list, one that none of the other three recognised.

“ _The Dozy Chaperone_? What kind of movie is that?”

“A musical. I’m not entirely familiar with the stage play, but when I was playing the piano for some drama club auditions, someone performed a song from the show. It sounds interesting!”

“As expected of you, Kaede.”

“I’ll be willing to give it a try.”

“I mean, if you’re recommending it to all three of us, it’s gotta be worthwhile.”

Shuichi rummaged through one of his jeans pockets to retrieve his wallet, his phone vibrating in the other one.

“Then I’ll go and grab our tickets. You can pay me when I come back, okay?”

The other three nodded, Ryoma turning his attention to Shuichi, having heard his phone vibrate too.

“Who was that?”

“Kaito on the group chat. It looks like he’s getting to meet some of the people in the concert.”

Turning his phone screen towards them, he showed the others a selfie of Kaito with Sayaka Maizono and another wildly-dressed young woman. Behind the three of them, they could see Maki with her arms folded, but still smiling at the camera, and another young man with orange hair & a goatee trying to get an arm over Sayaka.

“He’s awfully lucky.”

A message then appeared under the photo: _also btw akamatsu’s supposed 2 be in a rehearsal?? Anyone seen her today_

“Okay, you guys! We can go ahead now – the ticket line was practically empty!”

The three of them looked straight at her, Shuichi showing her his phone.

“What’s wrong?” Kaede leaned in to read the messages, her eyes widening in surprise. “Oh! Heh, oops…”

“Looks like we’ll have to take a rain check on the movie.”

“If we have to postpone, then I have no problem.”

“You know what?” Kaede continued her walk to the screens. “It can wait. I know the sheet music like the back of my hand. Besides, spending time with friends is more important than that right now!”

“Maybe on a personal level…”

~ ~ ~

By 2pm, it was obvious that the rest of the group had arrived in the city and were off doing their own thing. But while most of them were in the middle of their day’s activities, a few had just finished.

“I just don’t see the point, Tetsuya! We have this fuckin’ epic project lined up, yet we couldn’t tell anyone back there!”

“I thought we agreed to leave it as a surprise. It’s starting to come together, but there’s still going to be a lot of work behind it.”

“But people deserve to know!”

Tetsuya sighed, adjusting his glasses. “How about we mention it during the panel, alright? That way, we’ll be hyping it up even more.”

The couple continued walking down the empty halls of the convention, until they came across a familiar face.

“Tsumugi?”

The cosplayer was leaving another small room in that hallway, and upon hearing Tetsuya call her name, ran over to the pair of them and threw her arms over them both.

“Hi, you two! I’m assuming you were both in a creator chat, too?”

“Yes, we were,” Tetsuya responded, as Miu forced her way out of the hug. “Ours was focused more on the engineering side of things than making videos, though.”

“Ah, I see. Like me then. Mine was just about costume creation, but I tried to find a way to fit video making into it. And anime.”

“And how’d that go?”

“I probably went a little overboard when talking about anime, but I think it went well. What about yours?”

“Fine. I mean, with a genius brain like mine, no duh people are gonna be inspired!” Miu’s stomach suddenly grumbled loudly. “Only downside was we missed out on our lunch break, so whaddaya say we grab a bite around here?”

“I mean, there may not be any places open in here right now, but it’s worth a look around.”

But before they could take off, the three were joined by yet another person, apparently relieved to be away from wherever they’d just been.

“Oh, hi Rantaro!” Tsumugi waved him over.

Like she just had, he hugged both girls in turn (Miu once again reacting awkwardly negative) before moving to shake Tetsuya’s hand.

“Hey. I honestly wasn’t expecting to see any of you guys until this evening.”

Once the reunions were done, Rantaro joined them on their walk around the convention centre, in search of somewhere, anywhere to find food.

“You three here, Galacti-roll in rehearsals, Kaede and her group at the movies, and everyone else in the hotel…this has definitely been a day of mish-mash reunions, hasn’t it?”

“So what were you doing here? Creator chat like us?”

“Actually I was doing a couple of interviews. I was _supposed_ to finalise a few things for our panel on Sunday but got roped in by some magazine people.”

“You don’t have to sound so pissed about it – I’d kill for that!”

“It’s not I don’t mind doing them, but two in a row when I’m trying to work can be kind of annoying.” He grimaced. “And some of the interviewers have no sense of personal boundaries when it comes to questions.”

“They didn’t ask anything offensive, did they?” Tetsuya asked.

“Nah, not really. I guess it depends on what you consider offensive. Just stuff based on hearsay about family and sexuality.”

“I mean, if we didn’t know any better, I’d be doing the same,” Miu stated.

“Because when it comes to sex, you have no personal boundaries either,” came Tsumugi’s dry response.

“Wait, your family?” Tetsuya figured out what he was referring to. “They were asking about your sisters?”

“Yeah. It’s nothing to get too worked up over…I _do_ talk about them a lot in my videos, after all.”

Tsumugi looked ready to question this, when Miu pointed behind him.

“Hey, isn’t that Bakamatsu?”

What she was pointing at was a pink blur running straight for the music venue room, a folder under her arm with a couple of sheets falling out the end. Even though she was in a rush, she still made a point of acknowledging her friends as she ran past them.

“Hi, Rantaro! Miu! Tetsuya! Tsumugi! See you later!”

And she was gone again.

~ ~ ~

The concert didn’t get underway until 8:30pm.

Kaito and Maki were the first ones in the pit, having been convinced by Leon to stay backstage for most of the afternoon, and had managed to reserve (to the best of their ability) the area surrounding a pillar near the front. Now it was a matter of waiting for the others and alerting them to their location.

“We’ve only got a couple of minutes to go…where the hell are they?”

“They’ll be here, don’t worry! And even if some of them don’t show up, there’s always the afterparty!”

“Why would people who don’t show up to the concert want to go to the afterparty? And I told you already, I’m _not_ sticking around for it. You can by all means, but don’t try and convince me to stay.”

“Aha! Found them!” Kaito started jumping in place and waving sporadically, some droplets of beer flying from his solo cup, waving at the group and shouting over the noise. “Rantaro! You guys! We’re over here!”

The honorary group leader approached the couple, Tsumugi and Get G close behind, and before too long the rest of the group managed to make their way over. The fifteen of them did their best to greet the ones they hadn’t seen yet, despite the limited space and deafening bass tones.

“Finally, we almost have the full set!”

“We will once Kaede finishes up and joins the party!”

“Not really.” Shuichi yelled over the music. “Ryoma and I are heading back to the hotel after the concert.”

Kaito looked taken aback. “What? Why not stick around for a few minutes?”

“I’d rather get some rest before tomorrow, and besides, it’s not my kind of scene anyway.”

“Come on, Shuichi!”

“Kaito, don’t try and force him into it. It was hard enough for Kaede to convince him to even come in the first place.”

Shuichi’s mood took a slight downwards shift as Maki said this, but just managed to push it aside as Kaito continued shouting, the others in their own conversations.

“Wait, Angie, is that an alcoholic drink? I thought you were underage.”

“Oh?”

“The legal age is twenty over here. You’re still nineteen. How’d you even get it?”

“You two aren’t drinking tonight? Come on, it’s a special occasion!”

“Nah, the taste never really appealed to me.”

“I don’t mind alcohol in moderation, but I prefer not to drink it.”

“And even if _I_ could, I’d probably pick Panta instead.”

“I don’t know how the fuck you can even drink that sugar water!”

The chatter in the pit was broken by a piercing static screech through the speakers.

“Ah, whoops!”

A plain white spotlight illuminated the stage, revealing a mic stand dead centre, Ibuki stood behind it. Her outfit for the night was a wildly coloured sailor fuku type outfit. Following the white noise, she readjusted the mic stand before removing the microphone altogether.

“Hey y’all! Thanks to all you Ultimates for coming out tonight! The name’s Ibuki Mioda, my speciality is making beef stew, and I’ll be your MC for the event!”

“So she’s hosting too…” Maki muttered to herself. “That doesn’t surprise me, with her energy.”

“Ibuki hopes you’re all pumped for this weekend! Not to shine the spotlight on myself any more than necessary – there’s plenty of time for that later – but Ibuki’s still on a major high after hitting the big 2-1 yesterday!”

A number of audience members offered polite applause at this.

“Thank you, thank you. Vodka and coke would be very much appreciated as a late present, but Mr Hashimoto’s digits will also suffice.” She winked into the crowd as a few chuckles and wolf whistles rose up. “Haha, anyway, Ibuki and her friends are gonna give our best performances for all you awesome people tonight! Are you ready?”

A chorus of yells came from the pit.

“I SAID ARE YOU READY?!”

The yells increased in volume.

“Alright! Without any further ado, let’s welcome in this year’s DanganCon with full-on energy! And who better to kick things off than the female idol of our generation, the shining star Sayaka Maizono!”

The stage was newly illuminated in neon pink, Ibuki clearing the stage and revealing a full band set up behind her, Sayaka at the front of it. In the back corner, Kaito spotted Leon with his guitar, giving him the thumbs up. Closer to the front of the stage, stood behind a keyboard, was Kaede, in a school uniform type outfit of her own, its most notable item being the skirt covered in musical notes.

Amidst the bright lights in her face, she spotted her friendship group near the front of the crowd, offering them a light wave and beaming smile before her attention turned full to the keyboard.

The drummer knocked out a beat above his head, and the music started…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just noticed how sometimes Angie/Tenko speak in-and-out of third person when I write them.  
> The movie _The Dozy Chaperone_ is a reference to the musical _The Drowsy Chaperone_  
>  Also, the Monk Idol is from Danganronpa Gaiden: Killer Killer, and Melody Rhythm are a pair of characters from the fangame SDRA2 by LINUJ.  
> As usual, thanks for keeping up with this fic, and I'll see you next time!


	10. DanganCon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the convention finally gets going! I hit a bit of a slump writing this one while trying to figure out what to include - I have a list of stuff that might appear in the convention, but it's a matter of deciding what I want to include when writing it. I _could_ have included more in this chapter, but I don't want any of these chapters to end up too long...this one hit 17 pages on Word!  
> To get a better feel of the layout, I threw together a crude Microsoft Publisher map of the convention to refer to. Also, since the end notes get a little long, I'll just say this before the chapter starts: the next couple are going to be a little bit more character-driven, rather than purely fluff and cameos.  
> Hope you enjoy!  
> EDIT: So I made the map, but can't put it in at the moment...sorry, but it'll have to wait until next chapter...whoops.  
> EDIT2: Never mind, all sorted!

__

_Day 1, morning_

With the buses packed to the bursting point the morning of DanganCon, Shuichi and Taka took to walking the 30 minute distance to the convention centre. Sure, it meant an earlier start to the day in order to get there on time, but neither of them had to worry about waiting.

Under the additional winter layers, Shuichi had a plain black t-shirt and grey jeans, complete with his usual hat. Beside him, Taka wore a long-sleeve white shirt and black trousers, a high-vis vest bearing the words EVENT STEWARD on the back pulled over his shirt.

“And make sure you don’t lose your Ultimate pass!”

“I’ll be sure not to.”

“And be careful when spending money! Conventions like this one don’t sell anything cheap!”

“Don’t worry, Taka. I know what I’m doing.”

Despite the early, early hours, there were still plenty of people in the entrance hall, either waiting for friends or trying to skip the long queues. Save for a banner identical to the one outside, as well as a few signs pointing people in the right direction to the convention, there was very little of note in there.

“So where do you need to go again?”

“There should be a door around here…aha! Over there!” Taka looked towards a door in the distance labelled SECURITY. “I’ll see you later, Shuichi! And stay safe!”

“Okay, you too.”

As Taka weaved through different groups of convention-goers to reach the security room, Shuichi followed the signage around the lobby in the direction of the East Exhibition Halls, joining a line of people waiting to mount the escalators.

By the time he was halfway through his ascent, he spotted a head of shoulder-length blonde hair facing him from the top, beaming their usual bright smile and waving an arm in the air.

With his step on the escalator reaching the top, Shuichi adjusted his messenger bag on his shoulder and approached her.

“Morning Shuichi! I missed you last night – you took off before I could talk to you!”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I had a headache after Ibuki’s performance and needed to sleep it off.”

“It’s fine! But next time, I’d invest in earplugs. _My_ ears are still ringing!”

“Are you sure it’s not because of the party?”

“Nope. I took ten minutes to catch up with everyone, and left early to get some rest.”

The two started walking towards the convention, Ultimate passes in hand, after noting the increasing number of people appearing behind them on the lower floor.

“Ah, right. You did really good in the concert, by the way.”

“Thank you! I didn’t think it’d be as good, since I missed most of rehearsals…” She scratched the back of her neck nervously.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re good every time you play.” He felt a blush creep onto his face at this, Kaede also turning a light shade of pink. In an attempt to shift the conversation, Shuichi briefly cast his mind back to the concert – specifically, to the MC. “I don’t know if you have any clue about it, but Ibuki seemed less enthusiastic when she was introducing that boy band. Black Cherry, that one.”

“Oh, right. See, back in high school, Black Cherry were a rival group to Ibuki and her old girl band. I think she’s just jealous that their group hit the big time rather than going solo like she did.”

That made sense.

He then finally took in Kaede’s outfit: a pink bandana in her hair replacing her note clips, the knot on the top of her head; a white sailor fuku type sleeveless top with a black bow in the centre; and on her bottom half…

“Is that the skirt you were wearing yesterday?”

She reached for its hemline and pulled it up slightly, to show the design off to Shuichi.

“Yep! What do you think? Ibuki made it for my performance.”

“It, uh, looks nice on you.” _Here comes the blushing again…_

“Thank you!”

The rest of the walk towards the east wing was comprised of similarly awkward titbits of conversation, weaving through an ever-growing crowd of visitors until they reached the East Exhibition Halls.

There was a galleria that stretched down the length of the east wing with small benches to give people a break. Along both sides of the galleria were pathways leading to the first six halls, all of them adorned with signage and decoration. From the research Shuichi had done in advance, there was likely a path at the very end of the galleria down to the outdoor attractions.

Despite there being less people than expected in the convention centre foyer, there were still several people around here, a good portion of them in some sort of cosplay. More people in high-vis vests were pointing people in the right direction.

“Ooh, this is so exciting!” Kaede grabbed Shuichi’s hand and pulled him towards the Hall 1 entrance (both of them flashing their passes at the security guard), revealing the expanse of attractions waiting for them.

Several banners advertising various TV shows, films, games & the like were hung from the ceiling, filling the six grey walls of the convention halls with colour. Directly in front of the pair on the way in were some rows of vendors, advertising their wares to the new arrivals. Behind those, they could see a large black cuboid pop-up, which had several rainbow-coloured toy guns adorning an exterior wall. On the far right was a restaurant stretching halfway down the width of the hall, with the remaining half filled with other spaces providing food.

And this was just on _one_ side of the convention! Shuichi knew that this side was mostly relegated to vendors and the smaller stages – the main stage, signings and all the gaming booths were yet to be discovered.

“So, um, is there anywhere in particular you want to start off?”

~ ~ ~

“Thanks for all the support, and remember to stay in school!”

The young boy had to jump pretty high in order to reach Kaito’s hand for a high-five, before he and his mother walked off in the other direction.

Maki smirked at her boyfriend. “‘Stay in school?’ Could you think of anything more cliched to tell your fans?”

“Eh, whatever. It just sounds like a heroic thing to say, you know? That’s the kind of impression I wanna make on my younger audience – a hero!”

“Sure, but you don’t need to throw every cliché down your fans’ throats in order to do that.”

The couple walked past a large cosplay supplies stand, getting smiles & waves from several people inside but none of them approaching them for photos, more focused on the plethora of props and costumes around them. That, however, wasn’t the stall Galacti-roll were headed for; instead, they were searching for one of the merchandise tables.

“Okay, let’s see if they got it…” Kaito rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

“I’d really rather they didn’t.”

“Ah, too bad, Harumaki, they did!”

There had already been plenty of sushi-themed merchandise on their online store before, mostly T-shirts & hoodies with the simplest of the simple designs, but this one looked far more…well, cute. The whole _harumaki_ gimmick was already a bit too sickeningly cute for Maki personally…this latest creation took the cake.

The entire shirt was filled with sushi rolls, each one of them drawn in a much more cartoon-y style. The colours on each roll were more bright and vibrant, contrasting the flatness on the rest of Maki’s merchandise. There was nothing wrong with the design necessarily…it just clashed with the usual aesthetic in her eyes.

“Hey, cheer up! Check it out, they’ve got that pyjama set, too!”

One of their most recent additions to their line-up was the first bit of merch that actually combined both of their motifs – the vest top was grey with a sushi roll slap bang in the middle, only the colour was replaced with a galaxy pattern; that same pattern was repeated on the bottoms.

“I still don’t understand why anyone would want to buy summer pyjamas in December.”

Maki’s serious-as-ever observation elicited a chuckle from Kaito.

“That hasn’t stopped you from wearing them already.”

She chose to ignore that, eyes curiously looking over the rest of the merchandise being sold there: a few more of their shirts, Kaito’s galaxy-themed knife holder (which she was still surprised Mr. Hashimoto had even allowed to be sold), Rantaro’s ‘avocado’ range…

“Any idea whose shirt _that_ one is?” Maki pointed to a dark grey t-shirt with a white circle in the middle. A weird bear character was in the middle of that circle, with the words ‘I’m sorry I was born stupid’ in pink over the top of it.

“I think that’s Jabberwocky stuff. They can’t make all their budget money from streaming alone.”

“But I thought that bear character already existed.”

“It does. One of Jabberwocky’s WIPs is a collaboration with that company that uses their character.”

“Speaking of which…” with a disgusted look on her face, Maki pointed to [another one next to it](https://www.1999.co.jp/itbig71/10711190a2_m.jpg). A black shirt with a pink/purple Wave image in the centre…of a ripped man’s body with that same bear’s face imposed over the man’s. “Who would think it was a good idea to make that and sell it?”

Their attention was drawn away from that when they heard what sounded like cannon fire from somewhere behind the merch stand. They pushed through the crowds towards the end of the row of tables, rounding the corner to see a booth selling the same stuffed bears they’d just seen on the shirts. And being served by the person manning it were a pair that Kaito & Maki recognised.

“Those are 1150¥ each, but 2000¥ if you want to get two.”

Shuichi reached for his wallet. “Which one do you want?”

“The pink one looks cute! But you don’t have to pay for it.”

“I’m getting one too, so I may as well. It’s my treat.” He looked to the stall owner, handing a couple of notes over. “A pink one and a black one, please.”

“Sure thing. Step back and get ready to catch it!”

“So they shoot those Monokuma toys out of a cannon when someone buys them?” Maki murmured. “It’s creative, I’ll give them that.”

“Better go over there and say hello, now that we’re all sober!”

Kaito made a move towards them, but didn’t get any further than one step thanks to Maki’s arm across his stomach.

“Let them have this for today,” she said, a brief smile on her as she watched Shuichi & Kaede. “You know it’s taken him a long time to work up the courage to get on board with this experiment Rantaro’s planning. If Kaede’s building him up like she is, I don’t think you should overwhelm him right now.”

“Yeah…good point. There’s still the rest of the weekend.” Kaito stepped back from Maki and headed towards the merch booth.

“Well, I think I’m going to see what that Gungnir booth over there is all about.” She pointed to the black pop-up with the toy guns, located right next to them. “Are you coming?”

“I’ll catch up. For now, I’m getting me one of those Wave shirts!”

~ ~ ~

Seeing as he was the most well-known of the group, it was only natural for Rantaro to be hounded by viewers multiple times after arriving. What had come as a surprise was that as soon as he started walking even remotely close to the autograph lines, several heads in the lines turned towards him. Even though he was at ease in these kinds of situations, it was still a relief when Korekiyo appeared to herd him away. It’s not that the fans didn’t like him or anything, it’s just most people were put off of approaching him in that mask.

“You certainly are popular today.”

“Yeah, thanks for getting me away from there. If I’m going to do a meet-up, I don’t feel like upstaging everyone at the autograph tables.”

Korekiyo checked a map in his hands. “I was actually about to head towards the screen in hall 2 if you were interested in accompanying me?”

“Sure thing. There may not be any announcements this early in the day, but it’s worth a look.”

From behind him, a hand tapped gently on Korekiyo’s shoulder.

“Mr. Korekiyo Shinguuji, correct? Is that you? It has to be!”

Stood behind the two men, having apparently appeared out of nowhere, was…some female cosplayer. They had a blonde ponytail pulled behind their head, their face covered by a yellow character mask, and wore a long-sleeved black sailor fuku.

“Indeed it is. Can I help you?”

“Ah, at last! I thought I would never find you! And Rantaro too! It’s good to see you again!”

Being in the middle of a convention, Korekiyo’s first thought was that this woman was another fan of some sort. Although the formality was a little different than what was expected…

Rantaro chuckled. “Well, this is quite a surprise, Your Highness.”

_Highness? As in…_

“Shh! You’ll blow my cover.” The woman lifted the mask off, revealing a face of pale porcelain skin and sparkling blue eyes, her mouth forming a small smile that pushed her cheeks up. As observed by Rantaro, the face of Sonia Nevermind.

Pushing the front of the mask to the side of her face, her attention went to Korekiyo.

“I regret being unable to meet you in person in Novoselic. So it’s nice to finally do so here!”

“Likewise. It’s a pleasure, Your Highness.”

“Please, call me Sonia!”

The two shook hands as Rantaro posed another question. “It really is a surprise to see you. What brings you here for DanganCon?”

“I am a vlogger like you two, remember?”

Even with her royal duties in her home country, Sonia managed a channel of her own; not talking exclusively about Novoselic, or offering a rare insight into the lives of the royal family, but instead one that focused on one of her main interests – horror and the occult. Her attempts to create multilingual content meant that she’d attracted a base not only of adoring subjects, but also one of loving fans that spanned several countries.

“Right, of course.”

“Forgive me for asking, but what are you supposed to be dressed as?”

“Oh, my cosplay? I’m supposed to be the legendary Spanish serial killer Sparkling Justice! The mask, however, comes from a popular anime in Novoselic called Sun Witch ♪ Esper Ito.”

Both men, despite not being as up to date on anime as Tsumugi, were well aware of the title. It had been on every channel their hotels offered during their stays in the country.

“Well, if you wanted to spend some time with us both, we were about to head to the screen in the other hall.”

“I would be delighted! There’s an announcement for a unique horror movie I am hoping to bear witness to – I believe it is based off of a Japanese children’s book about socks.”

“That…sounds kinda weird.”

“There may be little available at the moment, but I too am curious as to what new projects are lined up.”

“Then let us depart!”

~ ~ ~

As much as possible, Ryoma tried to avoid places with heaving crowds, places like malls, stations during rush hours…conventions.

The main motivation behind this was due to his height making things dangerous in case of emergencies, but those feelings had become even stronger since doing time. It wasn’t reawakened by any specific experience from within the prison walls…he’d just gotten used to the idea of solitude.

Crowded places were almost like its own kind of culture shock to him now.

He’d been wandering off by himself for the past two hours and had thankfully managed to avoid getting spotted by fans – he wouldn’t mind when the time came, but still needed time to get used to the convention atmosphere – but now wanted to find a more quiet place to look around for a little.

Such a place came in the form of the dark pop-up tent in the zone dedicated to gaming. There wasn’t that much on the outside providing any hints towards what was waiting inside, save from a rather ambiguous sign and some neon lights over the entrance, but it didn’t sound like there were many people there.

The interior was split into two – one side filled with a mix of retro & modern arcade games, while the other was home to slot machines and tables for card games. If it weren’t for the dull, mostly purple neon lighting set up, the only source of light would be the game screens on the left.

“Ara, another customer. Welcome.”

Ryoma was greeted by a young woman in gothic Lolita, long twin-drills coming from her head.

“A casino? This isn’t something I expected to find at a convention for all ages.”

“Hence why the room is divided down the middle. Arcade games for younger customers, gambling for the adults.”

“Gambling, hm? I don’t think I’ve done that since prison.”

The woman eyed him, taking in his height. “Forgive me for asking, but may I see some form of identification? I feel it may be unnecessary based on what you just told me, but…”

“Nah, I get that a lot.” Ryoma shuffled through his pocket until he found his health insurance card. “Here.”

She looked over his card briefly before returning it to him. “Follow me, and let me know if anything in particular catches your eye.”

Now closer to everything, he noticed how most of the slot machines were exactly the same. Contrastingly, there was a large variety of supplies for the tables – packs of cards, cases of poker chips, even a shogi set.

“I wouldn’t recommend a table game at the moment, seeing as you are the only one here other than me. While normally I would gladly face you, it is only courteous to give customers a fighting chance at winning.” She made no attempt to hide the smugness of that statement.

“In that case, how are the slot machines?”

~ ~ ~

_Day 1, lunchtime_

“Alright! Shift’s over!” Angie closed up the money box for her half of the table and squashed it into her miniature rucksack, sliding her commission notebook into the band of her shorts. She leaned towards the person occupying the other half of the table, one strap of the bag hanging from her shoulder. “See you same time tomorrow, Yasuhiro!”

“Right, see you! And don’t forget the deets on that religion of yours!”

Squeezing between two tables, Angie headed for the galleria outside, passing the cosplay suppliers on the way. A quick glance through the ‘doorway’ revealed two more of her group inside.

“I’m telling you, if you go out there wearing this, you’ll win the cosplay contest hands down!”

“I do not doubt that, especially with your talents, but what exactly is the character?”

“It’s 2B from the action RPG, Nier: Automata! Seriously, Kirumi, you and her are almost like the spitting image of one another!”

With lunchtime having arrived, it was natural that the space of the convention centre would have become more cramped, flurries of visitors heading towards the food trucks and restaurant in Hall 1, a great deal more roaming the galleria for whichever shops were open there.

Another culture shock for Angie. She was almost certain the population of her island home didn’t even come close to the number of people present at DanganCon; she’d be lucky to see a crowd of this many people at a worship session. Yet somehow, she preferred this. Things were more fun this way! Especially since in this environment, she was actually within a few hundred miles of her friends rather than a few thousand.

“Now where would Angie find the two of them?”

* * *

The inside may have had more to offer, but the outside attractions were more lavish, the sort of things you wouldn’t be able to find squashed in an already overflowing convention hall.

In the courtyard of Big Sight were, most noticeably, a row of giant candy dispensers that were probably the height of four Gonta’s stood on each other’s shoulders. On the opposite side was a miniature amusement park, with a large rainbow-coloured slide, a jumbo version of that pie-in-the-face game, and a miniature Ferris wheel (which ironically enough, offered a perfect view of Tokyo Disneyland’s much more impressive one across the water).

Near the opposite end of the courtyard was a series of photo activations owned by Red Ribon magazine, a photo booth styled like a magazine cover front and centre. And its current model…

“Ooh, ooh! Now one more from this angle!”

Tenko put a hand behind her head, as though pushing a long bit of hair behind her head, eyes fixed on the phone camera in Himiko’s hand.

“Are we almost done here? I don’t like things like this.”

“Almost! Maybe two more photos!”

“Haven’t I taken enough…?” Himiko temporarily left the camera app and looked through all the previous images Tenko had asked her to take…five others in the magazine booth, one in front of some hedges, one on a red carpet, one on a faux studio backlot (complete with sunglasses and a makeshift headscarf), and a bunch of others from various 3D activations the Nyon Nyon magazine booth offered.

“Why does this sort of thing even interest you that much?”

Poking her head out of the photo booth, Tenko sighed almost dreamily. “As soon as Tenko saw all of this at the convention, she realised she had a chance to feel like a celebrity!”

“Aren’t you technically already a celebrity? Besides, I think Kirumi would do something better if you asked her…nyeh?”

Himiko’s attention went elsewhere when she noticed another person approaching them.

“Hey Angie.”

“Ya-ha~! Are you both ready for lunch?”

“Almost!” Tenko changed her pose again, this time with a hand on one hip, her body side on. “Only a couple more…”

“You did this exact same pose three photos ago…” Himiko groaned.

“So, where do you want to get food? Angie would normally consult Atua for advice, but He’s taking a brief nap.”

“You mean you just don’t know what food places there are around here…” Tenko muttered, until she remembered. “Oh, right! There’s a food truck out here somewhere!” She then grimaced. “Even though the owner is a degenerate male, at the very least he’s _much_ _less_ of a degenerate than the one running the truck inside…”

“You mean that tiny chef with the pompadour? I don’t wanna deal with him.”

“Yep yep! Atua agrees we should avoid him! Lead the way, Tenko!”

“Ooh, wait! Before that…”

Tenko swiftly grabbed Himiko’s arm, pulling her into the magazine booth alongside her, the sudden movement skewing her brown beanie. Both her arms wrapped loosely around her neck in a hug.

“Angie! Get a photo of me and Himiko!”

“Huh…? I told you I don’t like this kind of thing.”

“Come on, Himiko! Just one of you and me, as a memento?”

“But…nngh…Angie?”

Too bad she was clearly on Team Tenko in this matter, her phone already aimed at them and ready to start snapping.

“You don’t have to pose or anything. Just smile for the camera!”

“I wasn’t planning on posing,” a hand went to Himiko’s arm, her eyes going down to the floor. The whole being-forced-into-a-photo thing was making her feel very awkward. She wasn’t opposed to being photographed full-stop, but at the same time wasn’t that photogenic either. Maybe it was the close contact with Tenko?

Himiko then felt the other girl’s arms loosen, settling with only one arm resting over her shoulders. Her body had straightened up, and she was giving the young magician a small, encouraging smile.

“Act like you’re putting on a magic show for Angie and I, for everyone outside. Pretend you’re showing off your best trick. What kind of smile would you give us when you completed it?”

Oh. When she set it out like that...

She closed her eyes briefly and imagined the scene: the photo booth was now a glass box on a grand stage, a pair of curtains drawn in front of it. Suspended from the rafters directly above this box was another one, filled with…piranhas? Yeah, piranhas were good.

The point of the trick was obvious: escape the tank before the piranhas were dropped in. The curtain meant no one could see her escape, leaving them perched on the edges of their seats in suspense, anticipation rising as the timer ticked down. What they couldn’t see, however, was that she’d long managed to escape. Now, it was a matter of waiting…giving the audience a moment of horror before popping up from behind the box, throwing her arms aloft, and proudly exclaiming…

“Ta-dah~” she said under her breath, the volume in direct contrast with her facial features, giving Angie an open-mouth smile, making it look like she was laughing.

“That’s better, Himiko!”

“Say cheese~!”

~ ~ ~

_Day 1, afternoon_

Of all the attractions around DanganCon, one that was particularly unique was located in the gaming area. While the independent group Jabberwocky appeared to be drawing more attention, there was still plenty of buzz for the joint Funplane/Nantendo area. Sure, a major appeal of many conventions is the reveal of several new things, but these gaming companies were faring well enough with a selection of their existing games for people to play.

“Okay, so, Project Zombie…how exactly do you play this game?”

“You play as an ex-runway model, and you run around this post-apocalyptic world taking zombies as your slaves.”

“I can’t say I recognise this one.”

“It’s a rare one, but a good one! I’ve seen people pay hundreds of thousands to snag a copy!” Miu punched some of buttons on her controller, watching as a hoard of zombies on the screen were engulfed by a cloud of pink smoke. Once it cleared, those same six zombies began following Miu’s avatar as she continued to run through the wastelands. “Alright, combo! Why haven’t we played this game on our channel yet?”

“Perhaps _because_ copies are so difficult to come across?”

“Maybe if I use my beauty on the Funplane guys, we might just be able to get our hands on a repurposed edition!” Another ten zombies appeared in Miu’s virtual entourage. “Oh, fuck yeah!”

“Miu, tone down the language! There are children here!”

“Calm your tits, Tets. It’s fine…nothing I haven’t said in our videos before, and I don’t see you censoring those.” Yet another ten zombies went down, this time being eaten by the ones Miu had already adopted. “Hell yeah, I’m on a roll!” She offered her controller to Tetsuya. “You wanna try?”

“No thank you.” Instead, he picked up a controller for the other game, _Pagan Dancer_. “Now what’s this one all about?”

On the screen in front of him, there was an image of an NPC, with a scroll of information about them provided on one side of the screen. At the bottom were two options: _mercy_ , or _divine punishment_.

“I assume I play as a god? Alright…” Tetsuya read the information. “This man doesn’t seem the best, so…”

He pushed the _divine punishment_ button. Cue a retro-style cutscene of the god character wielding a lightning bolt, throwing it down at the NPC Tetsuya had just condemned. Rather than a cartoon-ish explosion leaving the character a pile of ash on the floor, the bolt pierced its stomach in a bloody mess, with several more raining from the heavens and impaling him further, blood pooling on the ground.

Tetsuya definitely hadn’t been expecting things to become that violent, his eyes bugging out of his head.

Beside him, Miu was still deeply invested in her game.

“Oho, this chick’s such a slut!”

“That makes it the perfect game for you, then!” A younger voice shouted from the other side of the wall.

“What? Was that you, Kokichi?! Why not come around here and say that to my face, you twink!”

* * *

In the meantime, the other side’s games were far more family-friendly and commonplace: Gala Omega, Bomber Guy, all the classics. Although there was still one person who didn’t completely understand them.

“Wait, is Gonta trying to kill the other players?” He asked with confusion, moving his controller around as though steering a car.

Kokichi groaned, reaching up to hold the controller with Gonta. “Right, so you run around this maze and drop bombs to take out the other players, all while avoiding the bombs that they’re dropping.”

With a little help from him, Gonta eventually got the hang of it, his fingers still a little clunky with the buttons. One of the other three players was soon eliminated from the game, as Gonta kept his avatar running through the maze.

“Okay, Gonta’s enjoying this now!”

“Wait, that’s too many bombs!”

Kokichi’s warning came too late, as he accidentally took himself out with his own bomb. He sighed, taking the controller out of his hands.

“Maybe gaming just isn’t your thing.” He looked to one of the larger screens, displaying Nantendo’s hit racing game. “Okay, maybe that one! And even if you crash out, you’ll get to see how great I am at the game!”

“Okay! Gonta should be able to pick up a lot about gaming from you!”

Grinning, Kokichi swiped up one of the controllers for the racing game. “Watch, and learn.”

**… … …**

“Wow! How did you come first in all five races?”

“Heh, it’s all about strategy.” And using items to piss the other three players off enough to break their concentration…so strategy and mind games.

“That was amazing! Gonta would never be able to get that good.”

“Oh, so you won all the last matches?”

A pink-haired girl in a green hoodie appeared beside Kokichi, picking up a controller. Behind her was a taller young man with part of his brown hair spiked in an antenna.

“Chiaki and Hajime. Shouldn’t you be running the more successful gaming booth right now?”

“Both of us are on our break. Miaya and Chihiro are manning our booth for the time being.”

“And yes, Chiaki, first place in all five matches. It was barely an effort. You want me to prove it?”

“You can try.”

“Go ahead and challenge her if you want,” Hajime said, “but Chiaki never loses 1v1 games.”

Kokichi was well aware – Chiaki was probably the best gamer he’d ever met – but stuff like that hadn’t ever stopped him before.

“In that case, you better get your suits ready, ‘cause this is gonna be a tie!”

**… … …**

“Aw, man…”

“I tried to warn you.”

Gonta put a large hand on his friend’s small shoulder. “It’s okay, Kokichi. Second place is still better than Gonta!”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“So,” now it was Chiaki’s turn to smirk, “do you want to try again?”

“AHA! There he is!”

The loud exclamation didn’t come from anywhere close to the Nantendo booth, but rather at the other end of the gaming area.

“Was that Kaito?”

“What’s that moron yelling about?” Tossing his controller to Gonta, he walked away and headed towards where Kaito’s voice had just come from.

* * *

Accumulating on the machine in front of Ryoma was a very large amount of coin tokens out of the slot machines, a couple of them occasionally sliding onto the floor when the weight of the pile became too much.

“My, that’s a very impressive collection,” the casino owner was in awe. “Have you left the casino once since you first came in?”

“I probably shouldn’t admit it, but no.”

“No way! Ryoma, you won all of that?!”

A small group had appeared behind him: Kaito was at the front, with Kokichi, Shuichi, Miu and Korekiyo loitering behind.

“How the hell? You have to have been in here all day! _And_ been on all the slot machines!”

Ryoma spun in his chair to face them. “That’s because I _have_ been here all day. As for the machines, this collection has only come from seven of them.”

“But there’s _ten_ slot machines!”

Korekiyo glanced to the person stood next to him. “Shuichi? I heard that you were spending the day with Kaede.”

“She’s just gone to the bathroom, so I thought I’d see what Kaito was yelling about in the meantime.”

“How did you do that?! There’s gotta be a trick to it somehow!” In contrast to the silent awe from everyone else, Kokichi was ecstatically awed.

“I guess it just comes naturally to me. Call it confidence in my abilities.”

“You sure you didn’t rig the machines?”

“I am quite certain only you would attempt a trick like that, Miu.”

While Ryoma’s congregation were still marvelling at his talents, the gothic attendant pushed through them to get to the machine.

“Excuse me, but I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave the casino. Or, at the very least, to move away from the slot machines. There aren’t enough tokens for any future visitors.”

“No worries. I’ve done more than enough gambling for the weekend.” Ryoma jumped off the stool, Shuichi and Kaito helping to collect his winnings off the machine. “Would you mind getting these counted and exchanged?”

The woman didn’t seem thrilled over having to do so, but regardless scooped up a handful of tokens herself, transporting them to a table at the back of the tent.

“Damn, there’s tons of them!”

“Hey, why not use Shuichi’s hat to help move them?”

Kokichi’s suggestion caused Shuichi’s hands to go to his head, almost protecting his hat from the others.

“I, uh, don’t feel comfortable with doing that…”

“Come on! It’s just a hat! What’s there to feel so awkward about?” Despite his playful tone, Shuichi didn’t see the fun side of it.

“I have my reasons.”

Kaito roughly threw an arm over Shuichi’s shoulder, pulling him into his chest.

“No worries, Shuichi! We can handle carrying them on our own, right? And when we’ve finished moving them all, I’m gonna take my turn on the slots!”

Kokichi put his hands behind his head and made for the exit. “Well, I better go.”

“What? Why?”

“Don’t you wanna watch the flower-garden brained idiot fail with me?”

“As much as I’d love to, _someone_ has to tell Maki that Kaito’s throwing all of their money away.”

“Hah! Just watch, Kokichi! I’m gonna come back to DanganCon tomorrow, with double the amount we started with!”

“I don’t think you win actual money here, only tickets.” Shuichi felt his phone buzz. “I should go, too.”

“Come on, Shuichi! I need you to bear witness to my victory!”

“Nah, let him leave. Besides, it’s not right for men to skip out halfway through a date, riiight~?”

His face turned a violent shade of pink. “I-it’s not a d-date…”

Embarrassed, Shuichi followed Kokichi out of the tent, with Ryoma soon joining them, a bundle of tickets in his arms, almost reaching over his head.

“Woah! How many tickets are there?”

“Three thousand. The lady said I can redeem these almost anywhere in the convention, except for the restaurants out in the galleria.”

“Damn, Ryoma! Mind giving me a couple to use tomorrow? Or…then again, you should probably save them for Kaito and Maki.”

“Do you actually think he’s going to win anything?”

Ryoma chuckled. “Absolutely not. He had to have quit gambling for a reason the first time. History’s inevitably gonna repeat itself.”

“I just can’t wait to see Maki beat Kaito’s ass when he goes back to the hotel broke.”

~ ~ ~

_Day 1, evening_

“It was a pleasure to spend the day with you, Rantaro! And Korekiyo, too!”

“Oh, no, the pleasure was all ours.”

“I notice he had to leave early. What happened to him? Was he not feeling well?”

“Nothing like that. I think someone in our group was having a little problem in the casino and needed a voice of reason.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I hope we’ll meet again before the end of the weekend!”

“Me too-- oh, okay.” Sonia moved in to hug Rantaro, leaving him a little unsure on how to respond. “I never imagined I’d ever be hugging a princess.”

“Nonsense! We are friends by this point, are we not?”

“I…guess we are. Okay then.” He reciprocated the hug for a few seconds until Sonia pulled back.

“See you around!”

Giving him a wave, she turned towards the exit and left the convention centre, an evident spring in her step. Now alone again, Rantaro was ready to call it a night and grab dinner at the hotel, when he heard his name from behind him.

“Rantaro. Good to see you again.”

“Mr. Hashimoto.”

The founder of the convention himself. His large form was covered by a simple white polo shirt and a pair of trousers the same colour, his shoulder-length black hair held back in a small ponytail.

“How has the convention been so far?”

“Pretty good. Haven’t had the chance to go through everything on offer just yet, but I’m going to make the effort.”

“That’s good to hear. Especially now I have royalty present. The last thing I want is things to be below her standards.”

“You won’t have to worry about that. She loved every minute of today, especially that Socki the Sock horror movie reveal. Seriously, where do you even find these people?”

“You don’t want to know…” Gento scratched all four fingers of his right hand against his cheek. “Anyway, I just had an update on your panel. You guys are scheduled for Sunday on the main stage, at 3:30pm. Your slot’s officially an hour long, but you can go up to half an hour over.”

“Half an hour? That’s a lot.”

“I know. But you guys are the last ones for the day. Everything else is either on the smaller stages or the screen.”

“And wow, I didn’t expect our group to get given the main stage…” A single bead of sweat rolled down Rantaro’s face.

“Is there a problem? I assumed you would have been happy with that.”

“I am. It’s just…I’m starting to worry that _maybe_ I’ve been overhyping this plan of mine a little bit. I don’t know if it’s really main stage-worthy.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Gento put a hand on Rantaro’s upper arm reassuringly. “Whatever this announcement of your is, you and the rest of your group are highly talented and popular individuals. Even if your plan misses the mark, your fans will still enjoy getting the chance to hear from you all in person.”

“Yeah, I don’t doubt that. I’m just hoping I don’t end up letting them all down.”

“You won’t. There’s no way you ever would.”

Rantaro just nodded. Gento’s encouragement didn’t do anything to change his mind, but it took a load off. In the long run, this idea of his would almost definitely be beneficial for all parties involved in terms of producing content - that much was undeniable. But there was still every likelihood that people would opt out of it when they found out what exactly it was. A lot of these people _did_ have their own lives outside of YouTube after all. And it had been hard enough, according to Kaede, for Shuichi to even consider getting on board.

But, he figured, it wouldn't do him any good to fret about it. He wouldn't know for sure what would happen until the time came. All he could do for now was have hope it would all work out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay…lots of notes for this one.  
> First off, the cameos & mentioned characters: Celestia (casino owner), Hagakure (stall owner), Teruteru (owns a gourmet food truck). Sonia was mentioned before, and I initially imagined her channel being like a multilingual version of Dead Meat.  
> All the stalls are things referenced in Danganronpa: Monokumas are a stuffed toy brand; Gungnir is this world’s equivalent of Nerf; Nantendo is the DR equivalent of Nintendo; Funplane and its games come from the MonoMono Machine; Socki the Sock comes from Ultra Despair Girls; and Red Ribon & Nyon Nyon are magazines that Junko appear in in her introductory CG clip.  
> The “better get your suits ready” line comes from an Achievement Hunter video.  
> And finally, that Monokuma WAVE shirt is an actual piece of merchandise that was announced for the 10th anniversary (see link).
> 
> Thanks for all the continued hits & kudos, and I'll see you next time!


	11. Inspiration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...yeah, couldn't think of a better title.  
> That plan to finish this before going back to uni fell flat on its face - and have been going out a lot more as a result - and it didn't help I struggled to think of stuff for this one. At least I have a lot of the next one written already.  
> Hope you still enjoy it!

_Day 2, morning_

With one day under their belts, the group decided to mix things up for day two of the convention – changing the people they wandered around with, rather than sticking with the same few the entire time. This time around, Kaito had broken away from Maki (mostly as a response to the gambling) and joined up with Shuichi from when the con opened again. He definitely seemed less tense than he was expecting, possibly thanks to his ‘date’ with Kaede the day prior.

The young men agreed to meet up for breakfast at one of the food trucks outside, one that Angie had said did some good food, positioning themselves at one of the circular tables next to the truck.

“And then?”

Kaito groaned, rubbing his temple. “The goth lady called security to remove us from the casino. The guy in the bull mask literally threw me over his shoulder and carried me out, and then Miu had to get dragged out by some pompadour and a guy with huge eyebrows.” He took a swig of his coffee cup. “At least Kiyo managed to walk out with his dignity intact.”

“Wait, why did the woman have to go that far?” Shuichi’s first instinct was to assume Kaito got rowdy when things started going downhill.

“The casino owner was getting tired of our group hogging the slots, and I _may have_ gotten a little too obsessed with winning. As for Miu, well, she fell over from laughing at me too hard and couldn’t walk out herself.”

“So that’s what Taka was talking about last night…” Shuichi took a bite out of the pastry in front of him. “At the very least, let that be a lesson to you, Kaito.”

“I know, Shuichi. No more gambling for this guy, swear it on my life!”

Shuichi said nothing in response, fixing Kaito with a look of disbelief that was visible even under his hat.

“Scouts honour!” Kaito put a hand to his heart, raising one hand to the sky. “Anyway, the less I can think about that, the better. Why dontcha tell me about your day with Kaede?”

Shuichi’s face turned a deep scarlet, the embarrassed amateur detective pulling the end of his hat down to obstruct his eyes.

“I-it wasn’t a date, Kaito…we were just walking around together.”

“I never _said_ ‘date’, Shuichi.”

“Why exactly do you want to know so badly? Kokichi was exactly the same last night.”

“Honestly, like 90% of the group think you two would make a cute couple. So obviously they want to know about stuff like that. But you can’t act like you don’t know where they’re coming from! Do you have _any_ idea how much more open you are with her than literally everyone else?”

“…you could say that about most people. That’s just the kind of person she is: optimistic, selfless, inspiring…” He trailed off, pulling his hat down even more, the redness in his face spreading to his hands.

Kaito was mildly amused by Shuichi’s awkwardness. “If you too embarrassed to talk about it, I won’t make you. Anyway, about today, I heard Blue Ram have one of those warped walls somewhere around here. The gambling may have gone to shit, but that’s one thing I’m gonna conquer!” Kaito downed the rest of his food, letting a burp slip. “Anything you wanna do?”

“Rantaro and I were going to attend a panel for 919 Productions. They’ve got a documentary that they’re going to announce today, so I don’t want to miss that.”

“You know what time that’s gonna be?”

“Uh, 2:30.”

“Awesome! That gives us a full five hours for whatever else we get drawn to!”

~ ~ ~

“For the last time, Kokichi, no I did _not_ kick Kaito’s ass into next week for the gambling thing. I only _wanted_ to.”

“Aw, lame.”

“I still don’t know why you’re so interested in that.”

“May I ask, what do you even have against Kaito?”

“Nothing! I just always get a feeling of schadenfreude whenever that idiot gets in over his head. Seems like an easy target, you know?”

How exactly Maki ended up forming a group with Kirumi & Kokichi is anybody’s guess, but it was what it was. Kokichi had been clinging to Kirumi – figuratively _and_ literally – when he remembered Kaito’s disaster the night before and was hoping to hear that Maki had reacted ‘appropriately’. One thing led to another, and the three were saddled together.

“Kaito aside, where are we even supposed to be going?”

“There.”

Not far ahead of them was the same tent she’d been interested in the day before: the black pop-up with all the toy guns surrounding the outside.

“Gungnir. The toy gun company?” Kirumi looked to Maki. “This is something that interests you?”

“Not the products, but rather what’s happening inside. At least, what they say’s happening inside.”

A woman with short black hair was stood outside the tent, probably to make sure no little kids tried running off with the props on display. Maki approached her.

“I’ve heard there’s some sort of tournament going on inside. Is that true?”

The woman didn’t seem all that interested in her question, possibly because she felt the answer was obvious enough. “Yes. Teams of four use the toy guns in a tournament, and the winners walk off with a bunch of Gungnir products as prizes.”

“I thought so.” Maki turned back to Kokichi & Kirumi. “That’s why I actually wanted you two to come with me: so we can form a team of our own.”

“But didn’t you just say you don’t care for the products?”

“I did, but this is something I’m actually good at. I may as well put my skills to use.”

“Maki Harukawa, I never expected you to be the type to want to show off!”

“I normally have little interest in such activities,” Kirumi said, “but if that is what you request, then I shall participate.”

“Count me in, too!”

Nodding, Maki pulled the flaps of the tent open. There was a small desk set up for team registration, with a wall of products behind & next to it. Six different coloured boxes filled with team vests and protective gear sat below it.

Stood next to the entrance to the tournament area was a familiar orange-haired teen, a red vest over the top of his outfit. He grinned at the group when he saw them come in.

“You’re getting in on the action _now_? I’d have thought this would be top of your list.”

“Hey, Leon,” Maki greeted him. “I thought you were with Ibuki.”

“Nah, she’s doing a panel for that Werewolf game in Hall 3. I think one of yours is there too. Kiyo, wasn’t it? And what about you?” He glanced behind the trio. “Kaito comin’ in behind you or what?”

“No. We’re doing our own thing for today.”

“Right. Anyway, you’re all right on time! I need three more players to get a team together! And you three are perfect!”

“You seem to be taking this rather seriously for a single match.”

“‘Single match’? Oh, no. This match is the last of today’s heats, then the winning teams compete again during the day until only one team’s left standing. That team, and the winning teams from yesterday and tomorrow then do one final match, and the team that wins _that_ round wins the tournament!”

“So we have to wait a whole day? Great…”

“Don’t tell me you’re dropping out because of that.”

“What? Hell no! I’m in this to win!”

“So,” Leon held up three more red vests, “you up for forming a team, Maki?”

“Sure thing,” she smiled, snatching the vest from him. “Just don’t hold me back.”

“Great!” Leon pushed two more red vests into Kokichi & Kirumi’s hands. “Now pull these on, grab a weapon, and let’s go kick some ass!”

“Alright!” Kokichi reached for a high-five with Leon, grabbing a standard purple handgun off the rails, Leon grabbing a similar model, only in orange. As they loaded up and headed for the battlegrounds, both girls glanced over the options for a while longer.

“So, Maki, which of these would you suggest?”

“For you…” Maki reached for a black & silvery sniper-rifle style gun, “I would say this one. You seem better suited to a supportive sniper position, since you said this isn’t your sort of thing.”

“I see.” Kirumi turned the gun over in her hands a couple of times. “Well then, I shall do my best in this position. Will you be using something similar?”

Maki shook her head, taking a toy based on a crossbow along with a small quiver of arrows. “I can do some serious damage with this one.”

“Hey, Maki!” Leon called. “The other teams are getting bored of waiting, so can you both hurry up?”

“I wanna win already!”

Sighing, Maki loaded her crossbow with a single arrow and held it pointing upwards in one hand.

“Let’s do this.”

~ ~ ~

Of all the places around the convention, the one place (other than the stages when they had panels going on) that would be the busiest, was the table for autographs and photos. It wasn’t unheard of for fans to be waiting for over an hour, maybe longer depending on who was present.

But no way would Tsumugi let something like that deter her.

She was about halfway down the line, bouncing up and down in excitement with a series of DVDs & manga in her arms. On either side of her were Rantaro & Kaede, tagging along for the main purpose of keeping her in check, making sure she didn’t ramble for too long when it was her turn.

“I think it’s pointless to do so,” Rantaro stated, looking at an agenda on his phone, “but I feel like I should ask anyway. Which one are you waiting for?”

“A few, actually. I want my copies of Tara*Spa & The Bomb Inside Her to get signed, a photograph with the Mini Miyazaki himself, and also to use this time as an excuse to meet an old friend.”

“That…doesn’t _really_ answer his question.”

“In other words, you want to meet Fujiko Yamada, Ms. Koizumi, Ryota Mitarai and Junko, I’m assuming.”

Tsumugi nodded, still bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“I’m not sure if this is a good time to meet your friend, especially if other people are waiting to meet her.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it short. I just want to wish her luck for her panel afterwards! Oh, right, are you two going to get any autographs?”

“Yeah.” Rantaro removed a couple of books from his rucksack, _Unstoppable Man_ and _Billy Milligan Royale_. “The authors of these two books are there too. I want these done.”

Kaede’s eyes widened as she read over the list of guests one more time. “Ooh! I wasn’t _going_ to, but the lead actress from Harry Peter’s here? You’ll have to get a photo of me and her!”

“Of course!”

The line moved forwards again, the trio still stuck right in the middle. Glancing round people’s heads, the trio noticed a few of the guests having a quick water break between photos & signings. The authors appeared to be keeping to themselves, while Junko was in conversation with Ryota. Read: Junko was chatting up a storm _at_ Ryota while he listened politely. That is, until she noticed her friend’s blue hair among the other people in the line.

“Mugi~!” Junko stood out of her chair, grinning and waving towards the trio, and approached the security guard monitoring the line. “Mr. Sakakura, mind letting those three cut the line?”

He glanced at her with disdain. “You know the rules. No queue-jumping.”

“Come on…just this once? They _are_ my friends, after all.”

“No. No preferential treatment, even if it _is_ you.”

Junko held her phone up in one hand, an ambiguously-intended smirk spreading on her face. “Are you _sure_ …?”

The security guard’s serious expression momentarily changed to a surprised one, before quickly returning to normal, a feint shade of red present.

“Fine. You three, get moving,” he waved them towards the front.

“Thank you~!”

Tsumugi could have easily tackled Junko to the floor with the amount of excitement she was displaying, Kaede and Rantaro calmly walking behind her.

“How did you even do that?” Kaede asked.

“Up until a few seconds ago, he was completely against letting us through.”

“Well, let’s just say…” Junko winked at them, “when you’re me, you have your ways of getting things done.”

“That sounded ominous.”

“Well that doesn’t matter now, does it?” She appeared behind Tsumugi, an arm out motioning to the animator in the seat beside her. “As promised, Tsumugi, this is Ryota Mitarai. Ryota, Tsumugi Shirogane.”

Junko leaned in close to him and whispered, “She’s a huge fan, so prepare yourself.”

“Oh, is she? Well,” he extended a hand, “it’s nice to meet you, Tsumugi. Do…do you want a photo together, an autograph or…?”

Ryota trailed off as he got a load of the look on her face. Both of her hands were clutched together under her chin, mouth wide open and eyes practically sparkling.

“U-um, Tsumugi? Are you alr-- AH!”

She grabbed his hand, her collection falling to the floor, and shook it with inhuman vigour that matched her current expression, Ryota’s arm flailing wildly under Tsumugi’s vice grip.

“It’s an honour to finally meet you, Mr. Mitarai! I am a huge-- no! The _biggest_ fan of your work!

“I tried to warn you, buddy,” Junko said, an arm resting over Ryota’s shoulders.

“Um, well, t-thank you, Tsumugi. That means a lot. Are you going to be coming to the panel in a few minutes?”

“Absolutely!”

“Well, if you wanted, um, if the security would allow it, you could watch it from backstage. I’m sure Junko would be alright with that too.”

If it were even possible, her face glowed even more. “Really?!”

Her enthusiasm reached the point of squeezing Ryota into a tight hug, much to Junko’s amusement.

From further down the row of tables, Kaede and Rantaro watched the evolving exchange awkwardly, the security guard from before having to start trying to pry Tsumugi off of Ryota (whose response to the whole thing was a combination of silent shock and trembling fear).

“I guess we’ll…see you later? Tsumugi?”

“It’s fine.” Rantaro put his now-signed novels into his rucksack. “She’s in her happy place.”

~ ~ ~

Following an early lunch break from another pop-up restaurant, Shuichi and Kaito continued their walk around the hall, the remnants of their food still in their hands.

“Whew! Can’t believe we get to keep these!” Kaito waved a 90% eaten purple bowl of shaved ice in the air. “Just another perk, I guess. Still can’t believe you’ve never eaten Viva Ice before.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

“Oh! Shuichi, there it is!”

Kaito stopped dead in his tracks and pointed towards what was probably the largest attraction in the entire hall. Poking out above the high-roofed tents scattered around, was what looked like some kind of climbing wall, only without any footholds – a small metal fence enclosed the top of the structure, a man stood within that space looking down.

“That’s Blue Ram’s attraction?”

“Yep! And like I said this morning, I’m gonna scale it!”

“Isn’t the placement a bit…weird? I mean, there’s plenty of space outside. Why wouldn’t they put the wall there?”

“So the rain can’t ruin it, I guess? Then again, they also have an inflatable obstacle course that _is_ outside…”

The two made their way to the foot of the wall, where a small crowd of people were formed, no doubt waiting for someone to conquer it. Amidst the crowd was a very muscular black-haired man, no doubt running the attraction.

“WELCOME!” The man bellowed as Shuichi & Kaito approached. “Do the two of you plan on scaling the wall?”

“Hell yeah!”

“Um, maybe I’ll just watch from the sidelines.”

“You sure you wanna skip out on it?” Kaito asked, stretching his legs and ditching his shoes.

“You’re more suited to something like this. It’ll be impossible for me to even get close to the--”

The attendant dropped a heavy hand onto Shuichi’s shoulder, making him jump.

“You! Your attitude is all wrong!”

“H-huh?!”

“Of course it’s impossible if you keep thinking like that!”

“Um, with all due respect, even _if_ I change my thinking…without the proper strength…”

“Nonsense! All great athletes have to start somewhere, don’t they?”

“But I’m not a--”

“Again,” Kaito said, “I’m not gonna force you to. But if you aren’t gonna do it, watch this!”

Taking a starting position a few feet from the wall’s upward curve, Kaito pushed forward off of his left foot and charged towards the wall.

One step onto it…two…

His foot slipped out from under him, sending him sliding backwards on his stomach, much to the amusement of several onlookers (including Shuichi).

A few seconds passed of Kaito lying at the foot of the wall, arms splayed, face down, until he sprang back onto his feet and gave Shuichi a thumbs-up, a bright toothy grin on his face.

“Second times the charm!”

He returned to the same starting position and pushed off again, at a faster speed than before. As his right foot connected with the wall, he pushed off the ball of his foot and swung both arms above his head, grasping the wall’s edge with his fingertips. His strength made it easy for him to pull himself up.

“Alright!” Kaito flexed his hands a few times, as though working the aching from them, before punching the air and looking down to Shuichi. “Your turn!”

“I told you…I can’t.”

“Sure you can! It’s easy once you get the hang of it!”

“But…”

“You know what I say, Shuichi? ‘The impossible is possible! All you gotta do is make it so!’ You’ll never know if you can’t do something unless you actually try it for yourself. And who gives a damn if you fall once or twice? I didn’t make it up here first try, did I? And you didn’t see me call it quits!

“I believe you can do this, so give it everything you have!”

“Gahahaha!” The attendant laughed. “Now _that’s_ the spirit!”

Shuichi still wasn’t entirely convinced, but Kaito’s rallying cry made refusal impossible. The boisterous attendant was sold, and many faces in the crowd had been won over, too. Right now, everyone watching expected him to at least attempt it.

No pressure.

“Alright…I’ll try.”

Shuichi’s first attempt went about as well as he’d expected: his speed was nowhere near enough, and he would have faceplanted the base of the wall if not for the brim of his hat taking the brunt of it.

His second run went a little better. He was able to push himself upwards, but barely managed to cross the bottom half of the wall before crashing back down. At least he didn’t make as humiliating a wipeout as Kaito had before.

“Yeah, you got this, bro!”

Taking a breath and adjusting his hat, Shuichi prepared to push off his right foot for his third attempt. Once he took off from the starting point, all eyes were on him as he reached the wall’s base.

One foot…two feet…three…

“Gwah!”

Shuichi’s fingers briefly encircled the edge of the wall, eliciting an excited gasp from the crowd, only to quickly slip away and send him sliding back down.

Fortunately, Kaito was there to grab his wrist and pull him back up, letting go once Shuichi was gripping the edge again.

“There you go! Now give it another shot.”

Sure, it was embarrassing, to be left hanging from the ledge of a warped wall in front of several people, with the clear possibility of falling again. But hey, that’s just its own form of motivation, isn’t it?

It took every remaining ounce of strength left in Shuichi’s body, but after a good few seconds of holding on, he was able to haul himself over the ledge and onto the top of the wall. The onlookers broke into applause, the attendant laughed as loudly as ever, and Kaito threw an arm over both of his shoulders.

“That’s the way to do it, Shuichi! As expected of my sidekick!”

“Wait, sidekick? What do you mean by--”

But Kaito was already looking elsewhere, attention on a point in the middle of the fray down below.

“Hey! Hey! Houston to Get G! Up here! Hey!”

* * *

Even with the crowds of people, Tetsuya & Miu _had_ heard Kaito’s shouting, but were far more interested with what was in front of them.

“And would you say this is the best camera you have?”

“Out of all the ones we have for the convention, yes. It’s fitted for still photography and video recording, but is far more tailored to the latter.”

“In that case, I think I’ll get one. There’s a discount for Ultimate pass holders, right?”

“Mhm.”

“You have fun with that.” Miu slammed another, far smaller box down next to Tetsuya’s. “I’m gonna have me some fun with this baby!”

Tetsuya read the packaging. “Is that a drone camera? I thought you made one of these at home already.”

“I did, but once we get back, I’m takin’ this thing apart and getting a good look at it! It’s Pikasha’s finest model, and I’m gonna get to the bottom of what makes it so. And use their mechanisms in my own inventions!”

“I’m not sure you should be openly declaring this in front of a Pikasha employee…”

The couple paid for their products, handing their Ultimate passes over for scanning, and Miu immediately broke open the drone’s box. Within twenty seconds, the vehicle was fully assembled and ready to use, its remote in her hands.

“There we go! Want me to carry that box for you?” She pointed the remote towards the drone as indication.

“Um, no thank you. No offence, but I don’t want to risk you dropping it.” Tetsuya looked at the drone, which was hovering directly above his head. “Why exactly did you want to assemble it so quickly?”

“For snooping purposes, duh. The fastest way to check out what’s happening around here!”

“…”

“Oho?”

~ ~ ~

_Day 2, lunchtime_

While several other members of the group were spending their day doing rather loud and lively activities, Tenko & Himiko’s day was relatively more toned-down: walking around the stalls for the morning, before stopping off at a pop-up dessert restaurant for ‘lunch’.

Himiko had been doing her best to humour Tenko the day before, but by now the faux enthusiasm was starting to die down. This whole DanganCon event was nothing like anything she’d done in a long, long time, if at all. All the walking around, combined with more face-to-face socialising than she could recall, led to fatigue, which led to irritation.

At least she could just sit down here.

“You know, this pop-up is being run by Ruruka Ando, the confectioner. Guess that means great things for the food!”

Himiko didn’t offer any kind of response, instead taking a sip of lukewarm green tea, her free hand fidgeting with her skirt and, on occasion, bits of her thick red tights.

A woman set a plate of various desserts in between the two girls, filled with miniature patisseries, slider-sized waffles, and doughnuts to name a few.

“Wow! These are the same ones Hina bought the other week!” Tenko reached for the yellow doughnut on the pile and took a bite out of it. “Ahh! Just as sweet the second time!”

Her excitement did nothing to draw Himiko’s eyeline from her bouncing knee, even as she held the plate out to her.

“Don’t let Tenko hog them all! Do you want one?”

“Why are you so obsessed with me, Tenko?”

“Huh?”

“I mean…rooming with me, walking around the convention with me, dragging me to all these different places…”

Tenko pulled the plate back slowly, noticing Himiko’s mood shifting towards a further decline.

“Was all of this all just an excuse to take me out on a date?”

“N-no!” Tenko’s face went a light shade of pink. “Didn’t Tenko already tell you? I just want to know more about you!”

“Why though?”

“Because…because you interest me! Hasn’t Tenko made that clear enough?”

“You’re interested in my magic?”

“No. Well, yes, but not just that. I’m interested in you too. As a person.”

Himiko rested her face in her palm, actually looking up at her. “You are?”

“You’re one of the most mysterious people in our group, and not for the same reason as people like Kirumi or Korekiyo. I believe there’s a whole goldmine inside you, a wealth of things about you just waiting to be discovered.”

Himiko groaned and put her teacup back onto its saucer. “There’s not much really.”

“I’m sure you’re being modest! Other than magic, and your birthday being on December 3rd, tell me anything else about you! Anything at all! It doesn’t matter how silly.”

“Hm, I dunno…”

Something about the way she responded to Tenko rubbed her the wrong way. Not in an irritating way, but more of a concerning way. It seemed less like Himiko was struggling to think of anything, but more like she didn’t _want_ to answer her. Like there was something holding her back – whether it was fear, shyness…

Tenko suddenly reached for Himiko’s arm, grabbing it by the wrist, and quickly twisted it around as she held it in the air.

“Uwah!”

The movement wasn’t forceful enough to break or harshly strain anything, but definitely rattled Himiko.

“I see…” Tenko looked Himiko dead in the eye, still gripping her arm. “You’re always hiding your true self, Himiko. For whatever reason, you don’t show people your emotions.”

She jerked her arm out of her grip, rubbing the sorer spots. “Jeez, that hurt…and you came up with that just by twisting my arm?”

“Normally I can tell what troubles my sparring partners by flipping them with Neo Aikido, but I feel like you wouldn’t appreciate that. Not to mention the other people around here. But in all seriousness, I don’t know what exactly is making you so shy, but if you can overcome that and show the world the real Himiko Yumeno…”

Tenko reached for Himiko’s hands, enclosing both of hers into her own.

“Then Tenko has no doubt you’ll make a great impression!”

Himiko was taken aback by her words. For the last 17, almost eighteen years of her life, near enough everyone would just leave her be. Leave her lazy, antisocial ass alone to do whatever the hell, or whatever little, she wanted without question. Why would anyone care how she lived her life?

Having people who, typically, didn’t give a damn about her try and change her way of thinking was a real pain. But Tenko…

Himiko slipped her hands out of Tenko’s and placed them back in her lap. They stayed there for the rest of the girls’ lunch stop, fiddling with each other, only stopping on occasion to reach for a donut.

~ ~ ~

_Day 2, afternoon_

The best part about winning convention events? The prizes.

The worst part? You ran the risk of having to carry said prizes around the convention hall for the rest of the day. Only really a bad thing if that prize was a particularly large one.

At least the prize for winning a preliminary was only one gun each, rather than the full bundle promised to the overall winners. But even so, Kokichi wasn’t overly impressed.

“We still won for the day. I can’t understand what’s making you feel disappointed.”

“They never said the huge bundle was the _overall_ prize for winning the whole thing! And sure, we still get our own prizes – not that you or Leon appeared that bothered by them – but could we at least have gotten something more exciting than the bog standard handgun?” He looked down at the two guns with disdain.

“Even so, I hardly see the point of winning…that many. What do you even intend on doing with them, if we win?”

“Well, with Christmas coming up and stealing out of the question, I was gonna wrap them up and gift them to DICE. Think of the content we could churn out! But for now, I’ll have to settle with these two. What did Maki even want the other two for?”

“I believe she had a similar idea to you. She wanted to gift some to the children at her former orphanage.”

“Well that’s one way to teach her particular set of skills to them. Getting them started with toys and working up to the real thing.”

They walked in silence for another couple of minutes, until Kirumi spoke again.

“Where exactly did you want me to go with you?”

“You know, all this walking’s made me thirsty. Normally I’d just grab a can of Panta out of my bag, but I don’t have any on me. Fortunately…”

Kokichi came to a stop outside another rather large stall. It was an open space with three large coloured retail walls – one red, one green, one orange, each with similarly coloured merchandise adorning them. A black square desk was right in the middle of the booth, a monitor hung on all four sides above a clerk. Suspended above the whole booth was a red banner displaying a logo – that of the Cola Cola Company.

“…this place has plenty!”

Kirumi looked away from the banner and towards Kokichi. “You do realise how much more expensive it might be to buy a drink from here, rather than one of the food vans outside, don’t you?”

“Normally, that’s the case, but look.” He pointed to a red vending machine displaying three logos – Cola Cola, Dr. Hopper and Panta. Taped on the glass was what had to have been a last minute addition – a piece of pink paper cut into a multi-pointed star, with black marker pen filling it.

“100 yen per drink! You call _that_ expensive?”

He darted over to the machine, putting a single coin into the slot, before looking to Kirumi. “Want one?”

“No thank you.”

“Suit yourself.” He pushed a couple of buttons, a purple can eventually falling into the pick-up slot. He cracked it open and took a long sip of its contents, sighing in contentment.

“Aah! That’s the stuff!”

“Surely that wasn’t the only reason you came here.”

“Of course not. There’s merch as well!”

One would think Kokichi Ouma would already have more than enough grape Panta related things to fill a house, but one would be sorely mistaken.

“So you wish to buy a few pieces?”

“Wrong! I’m getting the Mega Bundle!”

Kokichi pointed to another sign advertising the package – a large bag filled with a customised t-shirt & hoodie, a phone case, socks, drinking glass, USB drive, bottle-top keyring, Coozie, hat, pillow _and_ a can cover…all themed around Cola Cola’s products.

“No price listed though.” He sauntered up to one side of the desk, manned by a short blonde man. “Hey, there’s no price for the Mega Bundle.”

The clerk had to do a double-take when he saw Kokichi. Not on account of his online fame, but on account of the fact he still looked far younger than most and had gone separate from Kirumi.

“You? You’re gonna buy that?”

“I plan on it. So, how much is it?”

“That bag with all the customised stuff is gonna cost 10,500 yen.”

“Okay. And for me…?” Kokichi smugly asked, sliding his Ultimate pass into the clerk’s eyeline.

“…10, 500 yen. Ultimate passes have no effect on Cola Cola’s pricing. How about you try again when your mom gets here?”

Pouting at the clerk, Kokichi nudged Kirumi forwards. “You heard the man. Can I borrow 10,500 yen?”

“Sorry, but that really is too much to pay for one item. I do not wish to indulge this.”

“Technically it’s like sixteen items, _with_ customisation.”

“Whatever,” the clerk said, visibly annoyed. “If you’re not actually going to buy anything, can you fuck off?”

“Jeez, what if I _was_ with my mom? You could kiss your job goodbye,” he murmured, walking to the other end of the booth. “That sucks…oh! Rantaro!”

Kokichi’s potential salvation came in the form of the mastermind behind this whole thing, who was looking over the different shirt designs until he was called over.

“Hey, Kokichi. How’s your day been?”

“Great! For the most part.”

“Oh? What happened?”

Kokichi put his hands together, pointing them in Rantaro’s direction. “‘Kay, so it was all going good – won a Gungnir battle with Maki Roll, best mom and Leon, and walked out with one of their guns as a prize – and now some…” he glanced back to the clerk, “babyface asswipe manning the stall isn’t letting me buy something.”

“What the fuck did you just call me?!” The clerk looked ready to vault over the desk and charge him, only being held back by another silver-haired female clerk. The commotion prompted a couple of parents with younger children cover their ears and steer them elsewhere.

“How much?”

“Over 10,000.”

“Yikes. And, what exactly do you want me to do about it?”

“You think you could loan me enough to buy it? I’ve only got 3,000 left.”

“And…what exactly _is_ ‘it’? Kirumi?”

“It’s a Panta-themed bag filled with Panta merchandise, including a customised t-shirt, hoodie, and several other items.”

“I see.” Rantaro put a hand to his chin in mock thought. “Hmm…no, I don’t think I will this time.”

A look of genuine shock crossed Kokichi’s face.

“ _Whaat_? Why not?”

“I’ve done plenty for you and everyone else these last few months, but you shouldn’t get used to it.”

“Can you blame me? I’m still technically not an adult!”

“Maybe not, but you’re going to be eventually. How about this?” Rantaro reached into his wallet and removed a couple of 500 yen coins, pushing them into Kokichi’s hand. “You can get a pack of pens with this. Share them with DICE.”

Crocodile tears began to form in his eyes. “Why are you being mean to me?”

“Because I’m not going to be wrapped around your finger forever, Kokichi.” He pocketed his wallet again. “Enjoy the rest of the day. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m already two minutes late for this panel.”

He turned his back to the pair of them and ran back through the crowds, offering the occasional wave to people who recognised him.

“I will admit,” Kirumi began, “I did not expect Rantaro to react like that. On any other day, chances are you would have walked away with one of those bags.”

“I _know_ , right?”

Kokichi knew inside that it was all in good fun, but it still didn’t sit properly with him. Was he planning something else?

~ ~ ~

By 3:30pm, the 919 Productions panel had concluded. Shuichi and Rantaro emerged from the main stage area, where Kaito and Maki were waiting for them both.

“Kaito, have you been out here the whole time?”

“Yeah! Maki Roll and I had a quick meet-and-greet around here. Figured we may as well move it over here.” He looked to Rantaro. “And where were you? Weren’t you like five minutes late?”

“Yeah, sorry again, Shuichi. Had a little run in with Kokichi. He was trying to convince me to buy him an expensive goody bag of Panta merchandise.”

“Don’t tell me you caved again.”

“Not this time. He’s almost a full-on adult by now, he can’t leech off of me forever.”

“You say that like he’s your son or something.”

“By this point, he may as well be.” Maki looked over at both of them. “Was that panel worth it?”

“Yep.” Shuichi showed the couple a photo he’d taken from the event. “Kyoko revealed the theme of their next documentary series was going to be about serial killers and ‘special cases’.”

“‘Special cases?’ What does that mean?”

“Essentially, strings of serial killings that are conducted in a more bizarre manner.”

“Rumour has it one of their investigations is going to delve into the mysteries surrounding Genocider Syo. Even though their true identity has never been made public. Or even discovered in the first place.”

“Sounds like an intriguing topic,” Kirumi, having appeared alongside them, remarked. Beside her, Kokichi had his arms folded and was avoiding all eye contact with Rantaro, a pack of Panta-themed pens & a coaster in one hand.

“Almost a full-on adult, you say?” Kaito smirked.

“Shut up.”

“You know,” Maki said, “we really should have arranged for all of us to meet up around here. I think most of us have only seen each other in passing.”

“Actually, I was going to send a text out just now.” Rantaro revealed some coupons from his back pocket. “That Men’s Manma magazine were handing out several of these coupons for a bunch of restaurants. I managed to get plenty of them for Pig*Boy. There’s one not far from our hotel, so I thought we could all get together before we all come back to the main stage.”

“That’s a great idea! Good food there.”

“I concur. I too have missed several of our fellow group members.”

“Time out.” Maki appeared to have been the only one who clued into the last bit. “What did you mean by that last part?”

“Ah, right. I was going to save the announcement for later, but since there’s a few of you here already…we’ve been moved to the main stage for our event.”

“Damn. Guess Mr. Hashimoto has high hopes for this plan of yours.”

“Are you really going to keep everything a secret until tomorrow?”

“Yeah. No offence to you guys, but I don’t want to risk the fans finding out in advance and leaking it online.”

“That’s fair enough.”

“Can’t we at least get _one_ hint?”

“I don’t know…it’ll be kind of unfair letting only the five of you in on a detail.”

“There he goes again…talking about unfairness.”

“Come on Kokichi, can you get over it?”

While most of that group continued to persuade (or bad-mouth) Rantaro, Maki noticed how weirdly quiet Shuichi had gotten.

“Are you okay? You’ve been quiet ever since our panel was brought up.”

Shuichi’s hands went into his pockets. “I…um, I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Huh?” Now Kaito had noticed. “Is everything okay, Shuichi?”

“Y-yeah. I’ve just got to…I’ll be right back. Don’t wait for me.”

And before any one of them could stop him, he walked away from the group, breaking into a run once he was out of their line of sight.

~ ~ ~

“Okay!” One more sheet of paper went off of Angie’s workspace and into her pile of completed works. “Another commission done! Only…twenty-seven left!” She slipped her pencil behind her ear and turned behind her. “Thank you again for helping me!”

Gonta and Ryoma looked away from the table. “It’s no problem, Angie! Gonta is happy to help!”

“Weren’t you finished on your stall at lunchtime?”

“That was only yesterday. Angie’s been flooded with requests, so she and Atua have to work until closing time to finish them all!”

“If Gonta was any good at drawing, Gonta would offer to help get them finished.”

“Aw, no, it’s okay!”

“Are you sure?” A new voice asked. “Because I’d be okay to help on a couple!”

On the other side of Angie’s table was a younger girl, no older than Kokichi, with short brown hair, part of which stuck above her head in an antenna. She wore a red t-shirt, blue shorts and a short-sleeved white puffer jacket.

“Ah, perfect timing!” Angie pulled her closer by her shoulder. “Everyone, this is Komaru. She’s an aspiring manga author working in the comic village during the convention.”

“Hi Gonta, Ryoma!”

“It’s nice to meet you!” Gonta beamed at her, Ryoma again offering a polite nod.

“So Angie, what did you mean by perfect timing?”

“Angie has several drawings to get through, and Atua informed me that you would be of great help for some of them! We can handle the small ones and basic sketches ourselves, but would you be able to help with base sketches for the more complex pieces?”

“Of course!” Komaru took a seat next to Angie.

“But how come you aren’t managing your stall right now?

“I’m taking a break, but I have my brother watching everything in the meantime. I just came by because I wanted to ask you something.”

“What about?”

“Rantaro. He was walking around some of the anime-themed stalls a while back. I didn’t know he was an anime fan!”

“He’s not,” Ryoma answered. “Then again, he has several sisters, so it might be something for one of them.”

“He didn’t buy anything, though. Do you know the doujin author in the Princess Piggles cosplay?”

“Hifumi?”

“Yeah, him. He said Rantaro dropped by his stall, asked about what anime he wrote doujin for, made some notes and left.”

“That’s strange.”

“Not really. People asks questions and leave without buying anything all the time.”

“Hmm…Atua believes that his intentions are more virtuous than they first appear.”

“Well, you can ask him yourself if you want to.” Komaru retrieved a pencil from her belt. “Anyway, what sort of pose am I drawing for this one? Spinranger, full colour.”

“Oh, uh, Gonta, keep watching for people coming to pick up their artwork, okay?”

The three busied themselves with work, while Ryoma stayed off to the side, one arm resting against the table. In his mind, helping Angie out for most of the day was more chilled than wandering around the multitude of attractions at the convention. Sure, the day before was fun, but all he’d done was sit in a casino, winning tickets he’d end up passing onto other people. Most others may be able to entertain themselves for a weekend at a convention, but Ryoma was not one of those people.

Leaning against the surface, idly watching the attendees pass by, was banal by comparison, but it was enough to keep him occupied, without having to take a step away from the table.

That is, until he spotted one particular person flee the hall entirely. A familiar person at that.

“Ryoma? Where are you going?” Gonta was first to see him leaving.

“I’ll be back here in a few minutes. There’s something I want to deal with quickly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, a lot of notes:  
> The outfit worn by Komaru is a redesign by lmaowhateven on DeviantArt.  
> 919 Productions is a documentary filmmaking group specialising in the theme of true crime investigation. Its two most well-known members are Koichi Kizakura and Kyoko Kirigiri. The name comes from Kyoko’s DSC number (I also like to believe the cast of DR Gaiden are part of the group too – Takumi, Misaki, Ikue and Mekuru).  
> Some books from UDG are also referenced, as is another SDRA2 character.  
> Viva Ice is a present from the SDR2 MonoMono Machine. Pikasha is the brand of Mahiru’s camera in the series.  
> Cola Cola Company is based off of the Cola Cola drink from the MonoMono Machine, and the Coca Cola Company. In this universe, they also own Panta and Dr. Hopper. Fuyuhiko & Peko are the two attendants.  
> Also, I think it went without saying last chapter but Celeste was supposed to be running the casino. Here, Mukuro runs the Gungnir stall, and Nekomaru does Blue Ram. Mahiru, however, is not running Pikasha – she’ll be mentioned if not next chapter, then the one after.  
> Also, with the long gap between updating and references to SDRA2, I’ll leave a reminder that here Mr. Hashimoto refers to the name I gave the Imposter in this fic (Gento Hashimoto) and not the SDRA2 character Syobai Hashimoto.


	12. To The Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way faster update than the last one, right?  
> That might be why some of this chapter might look rushed. I did plan on leaving at just the Shuichi & Himiko parts, but didn't want to remove the group interactions at the end.  
> Even with uni work gradually building up and something from one of my other fandoms ruining my mood for a while, I got it done! As always, hope you enjoy!

_Day 2, still the afternoon_

_In…hold for three…out._

Shuichi didn’t know whether it was just because it was the day before the big reveal, but the sudden rush of fear and anxiety had appeared almost out of nowhere. Everything that had given him grief the days before coming to DanganCon was weighing back on him. The day with Kaito had been going great, and now he just had to go and ruin it, running off with no warning.

He’d found a room close to the main halls which looked like an exclusive lounge, but it was completely empty. Perfect.

Ignoring the buzzing in his pocket, Shuichi dropped himself onto the lounge’s leather sofa, hoping the quieter atmosphere would get his thought process back to normal. Two minutes since leaving, and it still wasn’t working.

The silence inside the lounge was interrupted when the door swung open, quickly clicking shut again. For a long time, Shuichi couldn’t see anyone who’d come in, until a short figure poked their head over the end of the couch.

“Oh, hi Ryoma.”

He didn’t respond, instead glancing around the room’s décor. It had a colourful retro style to it, filled with various pop culture paraphernalia. A covered hot-tub sat in the corner, a high-end coffee machine positioned next to it. There was a tray of cupcakes sat on top of it.

“Hm. How come none of us found this room earlier? I wouldn’t mind holing up here for a couple hours.” Ryoma wandered over to the coffee machine and grabbed a throwaway cup. “Want one?”

“Uh, yes please.”

The two remained in silence for a while, save for the whirring of the coffee machine while waiting for the drinks to be made.

“How did you even know I came in here?”

“I was working Angie’s booth when you ran out of the hall,” he replied, replacing the now filled coffee cup with an empty one. “I just happened to spot where you were going.”

“Ah, I see.”

“It looked like something upset you. Figured it’d be worth checking everything was okay.”

“Uh, right.”

“So. _Is_ everything okay?” Ryoma asked, putting lids on the two coffee cups and carrying them over to the sofa.

Shuichi sighed. “I…really don’t think I should get involved with Rantaro’s plan.”

Again, Ryoma said nothing in response, jumping up onto the sofa next to Shuichi, passing over one of the coffee cups. He leaned against one of the corner cushions and listened.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and I feel like I’d be out of place with everyone else. It’s not that I don’t like all of you – we’ve all known each other for more than a year now, and I think of a lot of you as close friends – but from the way Rantaro’s been building it up, I’m assuming it’s something big. And…I don’t know if I can fully commit to it. I’m worried if I can’t handle it and have to back out that I’ll let everyone down. A-and compared to how much all your channels mean to you compared to me, that’ll probably make me even less committed.”

Even though he’d already managed to convince himself the others wouldn’t _hate_ him if he quit on them, in his mind, he still thought he’d be disappointing them immensely.

“And even with all that…I’m nowhere near as popular as the rest of you. I-I know it sounds like a stupid problem, acting like it’s a popularity contest.” He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. “People like Kaede have been reassuring enough but…I still don’t know.”

Ryoma nodded, humming to himself.

“It was something that worried me a lot before the convention, and I was able to put it behind me for most of it…” Shuichi stopped mid-sentence, unable to figure out how else to explain his thought process.

“You want my five cents?”

Swinging his legs onto the couch, Ryoma faced Shuichi.

“This may not seem all that relevant to your problem, but bear with me.”

“Um, alright.”

Ryoma shifted against the cushion behind him. “One of the things you were worried about was the whole popularity contest thing, right? Not being ‘famous enough’ compared to the others in the group.”

“That’s not the main reason I’m anxious.”

“Maybe not, but it’s still something nagging at the back of your mind. See, there’s one big difference between all of you, and me. You’re all famous, whereas I’m, no matter how much I might want to change it, infamous. The bulk of my teenage life was spent in the middle of a scandal that shook the entire country. Tell me, when the smoke clears, does everyone really lose interest in it?”

Shuichi seriously thought about this. “People might stop caring about the event itself after a time, but there will always be people who want to know about the _subject_ of that event.”

“Exactly. Like with reality TV contestants, they want a ‘where are they now’ story. I have probably 800k subscribers, but I guarantee you, half of my fanbase are only there for that.”

“Oh. Well, uh,” Shuichi didn’t really know how to respond to a statement like that. “…I’m sorry?”

“Really, it’s barely worth thinking about. To me, anyway. And I’ve never given a damn whether or not everyone else feels the same. I sure as hell know Rantaro doesn’t.”

“You think so?”

“Do you really believe Rantaro cares about popularity? Look at the different stats for everyone he came after. Do you think if he cared about popularity, he’d have come to you for whatever he’s got planned? No offence.”

“None taken. And, I guess you’re right about that.”

“And that worry about commitment. You still don’t know what Rantaro has waiting for us. None of us do. But one thing’s for sure – you won’t be letting anyone down if you choose to opt out. Just because you don’t want to get involved with his idea, doesn’t stop you from making content in your own time. Or from being friends with everyone. And whatever it does turn out to be…there’s no harm in trying it first.”

Just like everyone had been saying to him so far…

_“If you let yourself give up, then you can never really grow. Not just as a content creator, but also as a whole person.”_

_“Unless you come along and see for yourself, you’ll never know whether it’s for you or not. Besides, it’s not like you’re going to be with people you don’t know.”_

_“You’ll never know if you can’t do something unless you actually try it for yourself. And who gives a damn if you fall once or twice? I didn’t make it up here first try, did I? And you didn’t see me call it quits!”_

He knew they were all right. He knew he was being stupid, that he was stressed and anxious about going into this thing blind, his mind working on overdrive as a result. But it was a hard thing for him to shake. And if he _really_ wouldn’t know until he actually experienced it, there was nothing he could do in the meantime. So…

“So, Ryoma, how are your cats doing?”

He glanced up from his coffee. “That’s…sort of out of nowhere.”

“I need to talk about something to keep my mind off of things, for now.”

“Well, they’re all doing fine. Misty’s getting older but she’s fine, mostly lazing around the house, and Oreo’s gotten fond of squeezing into any space he can find.”

“Isn’t that normal cat behaviour though?”

“Heh, probably. Elvis is the only normal kitten. And Ue-sama gets louder and hungrier with every passing day.”

“Um, one of them didn’t have a name last time I heard about them. What did you come up with?”

“Actually, it still doesn’t have one.” Ryoma finished the rest of his coffee, leaving the cup between his legs. “I wasn’t about to take any of the other suggestions I got.”

Shuichi nodded understandingly. He remembers when he’d asked about names on the group chat. He hadn’t contributed to it at the time, but remembered some of the suggestions: Stripes from Kaito (even though none of his cats _had_ stripes), Atua from Angie…he was honestly still surprised Ryoma actually _did_ call one of them Ue-sama.

“Well…how about Ivy? I know it’s green rather than grey, but it sounds like a nice cat name. In my opinion, anyway.”

“Ivy…Ivy…” he repeated, testing the name against the image of the nameless kitten in his head. “Not bad.” He turned back to Shuichi, with a soft smile. “Ivy it is. Good idea.”

Swinging his legs over the edge of the sofa a couple of times, Ryoma picked up his coffee cup and pushed himself off and onto the floor again.

“I think I’m done with the convention for today. You wanna take off?”

“Already? Are you sure? Don’t you want to stick around?”

Ryoma pulled his hat further over his forehead. “It’s been fun so far, but this really isn’t my kinda scene. And honestly I need a break before that group dinner.”

“Oh, that _is_ going ahead.”

“Yep. Rantaro texted everyone just as you were coming over here.”

Shuichi discarded his own cup in the bin in the corner. “Why not? I don’t want to risk worrying myself anymore before tomorrow.”

Ryoma huffed, removing a candy cigarette from his jacket pocket. “Ironic, isn’t it? Can’t stand environments like this one, but I came anyway. And now I wanna take my leave early. Guess I’ve still got a ways to go.”

Shuichi followed him out the door, his mood already much lighter than it had been before, everyone’s words of motivation still echoing through his head.

“You and me both, Ryoma.”

~ ~ ~

Sure, winter made the days shorter, but a perk to that was the sunset coming much earlier than usual. And when you were next to the water, that made the view even more beautiful. Two people, however, were not where they were for the view.

Sat in a capsule on the convention’s Ferris wheel, steadily ascending to the top, were Tenko and Himiko, just as awkward as they had been the rest of that day. Himiko kept her eyes to the floor, messing with the beanie in her hands, while Tenko wrang her hands together in her lap, mulling over words.

“I…didn’t ruin today for you, did I? After what I told you at lunchtime. It’s just, you’ve barely said a word to me since that conversation. Did I say something to hurt you?”

Himiko remained silent.

Tenko sighed. “I can see that sometimes, my behaviour might annoy you sometimes, and sometimes I might overstep some sort of boundary. But I really do want to get to know you.”

Another awkward silence passed between the two girls, until Himiko finally looked up at Tenko.

“Why me?”

“What?”

“You’re probably one of only a few people who’ve ever been interested in me. Even within our little group, no one else has ever shown me this much interest.” Himiko paused. “…not even Rantaro, and he’s the one who got me into the group in the first place.”

“You’re surprised that people want to be friends with you?”

Himiko stuck a finger in her ear, as though scratching it. “You know how I’m not in school anymore? That’s got something to do with it. It was always the popular girls who thought I’d be an easy target. No one else would bother with me.”

“Oh. I’m…sorry, Himiko. If it was that bad…”

“Whatever. It’s a pain to think about. But that’s why I’m…I guess, hesitant, to spend time with people outside of videos. Kinda like with magic, I go into another zone when I’m working on content. Sure, I get along with everyone well enough, but I wouldn’t say we’re particularly close or anything.”

Another pause, as the events of the convention so far resurfaced in her memory.

“But…”

“Oh?”

“You were right about what you said before – a while back, you annoyed me a lot, always wanting to spend time with me. But now it’s more like you…overwhelm me. All of your energy can be draining at times, especially compared to me, but, if I _am_ gonna be honest…”

Himiko’s gaze went back to the floor, her reddening face hidden behind her beanie.

“…I don’t mind it.”

“You…are you sure?”

“I think so…I may not be used to it, but actually having someone around for a long time feels kinda nice.”

“Well that’s reassuring, but it’s nothing to be embarrassed about!”

“Maybe not for you. This is like a normal thing for you.”

“Hey, no one said it was easy.”

The girls’ conversation stalled, both of them glancing out of their capsule towards the water, the setting sun glistening off its surface.

“Himiko. Do you remember what I said to you yesterday when we took that photo together? About pretending you were performing a magic show?” Tenko turned back to her. “The side of you that came out when I said that…that’s what you should be showing everyone. You’ll feel a whole lot better if you open your heart out and show your feelings to everyone, because it’s a natural thing to do. Not only will it make even more people genuinely interested in you, but it’ll help you to truly connect with others, too.

“And you have such a pure heart that keeping it hidden is a waste.”

Tenko’s kind words left Himiko completely stuck for a response, her beanie coming back up in front of her face.

“T-think so?”

“I know so!” Tenko started turning her head back to the glass again, suddenly getting an idea. “Hey, your birthday’s on Tuesday, right? Why don’t we do something for your birthday once the convention’s over? It doesn’t have to be just the two of us if you don’t want, but let’s do something you’ll find exciting.”

“After this weekend, I’d probably just wanna lie in my room and sleep for a year.”

“Whatever you want to do!”

Himiko grinned, she too looking out the capsule window towards the bay. “Okay. Sounds good.”

A new, longer silence passed between the two as their pod reached the height of its movement. Although the nature of their silence left less of a weight on their shoulders.

“Hey, Tenko?”

“Yes?”

“I…am happy you wanted to spend all this time with me. If you hadn’t, then I probably would have been by myself all weekend. So…thanks.”

While the blushing in Himiko’s cheeks had faded to a soft pink, the shade spreading through Tenko’s face was much more vivid, accompanied by a bright smile and even tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“No problem at all!”

~ ~ ~

_Day 2, evening_

The group’s table already had seats filled by the time Shuichi and Ryoma arrived at the diner, at 7pm, although not everyone had made it just yet. Currently, Rantaro was switching between his phone and a conversation with Kaede & Kirumi, while Maki and Kaito looked over the restaurant’s menu. Rantaro was first to notice as they approached the table.

“Hey, Shuichi. Are you feeling any better now?”

“Yeah, what happened?”

“I’m okay now, but I’d rather not talk about it just yet.”

“No big deal.” Kaito pulled out the chair between himself and Kaede, patting it. “Come on, sit down! You too, Ryoma!”

“What’s keeping everyone else?” Ryoma asked, jumping up next to Kirumi.

“Kokichi’s still pouty that I didn’t buy him any Panta merch, Tenko said she and Himiko would be running behind a little, and I don’t know about everyone else.”

“I dunno if Angie’s still working on those commissions at her stall.”

“What about Angie?” the young artist asked as she appeared next to the table.

“Just wondering how those drawings went. Sorry I took off.”

“It’s no problem! Komaru was plenty helpful finishing the more basic sketches, and thanks to Gonta, Angie was able to deliver a good chunk of them around the rest of the convention!”

“So does that mean you’re all clear for tomorrow? No work?”

“No work! Angie found another person to sell everything I had made in advance, while Angie finally gets to enjoy a whole day with everyone! Atua says they’re a shy but sweet tangerine girl!”

“A…tangerine girl?”

“Yep yep! They’re also a nurse, so if anything bad happens, she’ll be able to handle it. Hum. Maybe her name is ‘Tangerine’…”

“Heh, well anyway, it’s good you finally get the full experience,” Rantaro smiled, checking his phone as it vibrated on the table. “Oh, everyone else isn’t far out. For now let’s just check the menu so we’re ready to order when the group’s assembled.”

~ ~ ~

The remaining group members arrived within five minutes of Angie. Drink orders were taken within another minute, arrived within two more, and the big convention based conversations began as soon as their waitress left with their food orders.

“And you both beat the warped wall after two tries?” Maki asked Kaito.

“Actually, I beat it after three, but yes, I still did it.”

Maki smirked. “Impressive.”

“Yes, far stronger than I expected of you, Shuichi!” Tenko congratulated.

“Um, thank you…”

“Course, I tripped and faceplanted on the first try, I’ll admit,” Kaito said.

“Yeah, right. You probably tanked on purpose to make him feel better.”

Kaito laughed. “I wish. It’s harder than it looks. Which is exactly why you’ve got yourself a keeper with Shuichi, Kaede!”

The redness made a return to Shuichi’s face. “C-come on…if you hadn’t been at the top then I wouldn’t have gotten up there.”

“Maybe…but you _did_ still manage to grab the ledge for a couple seconds, right? Tell me I’m wrong!” An arm went around Shuichi, pulling him in closer. “And what was it you said before? ‘Impossible for someone like you’? Bullshit!”

“Mhm,” Kaede nodded, “Kaito’s right. You still did that with your own strength, so stop putting yourself down.”

Shuichi glanced towards her, ready to thank her, when Miu called down the table.

“You know Bakamatsu was watching the whole thing, right?”

She jolted, spinning to face her. “What? How did you know that?!”

“Drone cam, bitches.” She showed a tablet screen down the table. “Check it!”

The screen showed the drone’s view from above the Blue Ram crowd, focusing in particular on a blonde, pink-clad young woman at the front, phone held out in front of her, no doubt filming Shuichi’s attempt at a run. Based on her reactions – excitement, to shock, to cheering – it was his successful final run.

“Tell me, what exactly were you doing watching him? Alone, no less.”

“Wh-- why is it such a big deal? They’re my friends, aren’t they? What’s the problem watching your friend do something?”

“Sure…friend…” Miu smirked.

<p></p>

“Woahh! _That’s_ the best mom?!”

“Yeah. Our entry for the cosplay contest on day 1!” On Tsumugi’s phone was an image of Kirumi in a black dress that probably wouldn’t be out of place in her everyday wardrobe, knee-high heeled boots and a matching blindfold, a prop katana in one hand. “She came second for the day!”

“And you made the costume yourself?”

She sighed at Himiko’s question. “It’s like you don’t even know me.”

“Perhaps I would have come first if I had a better stage presence.”

“Hey, it’s not about winning! It’s about passion for the source material…and showing my creations to everyone else. Far superior to those cheapo cosplay pieces you find online.”

“Maybe cheap in quality, but most certainly not in price.”

Kokichi was in awe over Kirumi’s appearance in the photo. “So, who ended up winning?”

“Well…” almost hesitant, Tsumugi flicked to the next photo on her camera reel. “The win only happened because they performed a skit that was loyal to the original manga. I hope. Because the cosplay itself is…”

She turned the phone to them again, and they immediately recoiled in disgust, the nearby Tenko horrified as she caught a glimpse of the image.

“That’s…a guy?”

“A degenerate incarnate!”

“He’s one of the people working another booth across from me. Only produces content for Demon Angel ★ Pretty Pudgy Princess from what I hear.”

“Then that must have been…a _really_ loyal skit if _that’s_ why he won.” Kokichi took another reluctant look. “Like, _really_ loyal.”

<p></p>

“And this is Himiko and I in that huge ball-pit outside! And then this is me in one of those magazine photo booths! All of these next ones are of me…hmm…wow, there really are a lot of these…oh! This one has Himiko in it too! Isn’t her smile so adorable?”

“You certainly are talking about Himiko a lot this evening. Well, more than normal,” Korekiyo remarked. “Did something particularly interesting happen with you both?”

“Only the strengthening of Tenko’s bond with Himiko!”

“You’re kinda blowing it out of proportion…”

“But it’s a proud moment! For me, at least. Oh! We had these desserts earlier today. You should all go and grab some if the place is still open tomorrow. Ooh! I forgot to send a photo to Hina!” Tenko shook her head, realising how rapid her train of thought had gotten. “Oh, sorry everyone. Anyway, Himiko and I got to see this view from that Ferris wheel in the courtyard, and immediately after that we went down those rainbow-coloured slides!”

Tiring of Tenko’s overactive explanations, Kokichi kicked Himiko under the table to get her attention.

“What _did_ you do? Because if it were even possible, she’s more obsessed with you than ever. You ask her out on a date or something?”

“No.” Himiko glanced back to her, still enthusiastically showing off every picture on her phone containing Himiko to the rest of the table. “But I think she did earlier.”

“Hm.” He took a bite of the food on his plate. “And I assume you’re gonna reject her?”

Certain she wasn’t looking at her, Himiko continued watching Tenko, and felt herself crack a smile. Less of the smug-looking one she was used to showing off, but a much more genuine one.

“I don’t think I will.”

<p></p>

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, Tsumugi. How exactly _do_ you know Junko Enoshima?”

“From an internship. She was doing a shoot at the same place I was working for a couple of weeks. I didn’t actually make any of her outfits for that job, but she loved what she saw me working on and got in touch once we were both finished.”

“I know we’ve already seen what you can do, but you must have made one hell of an impression on her.”

“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“It’s just based on how she acted with the security guard. Seemed kinda…shady.”

“Oh!” Kaede remembered, diverting attention away. “How was the panel? Did they let you watch from backstage?”

“Yeah! It was awesome! It’s all been figured out – thirteen episodes, one OVA and hopefully an accompanying movie a few months down the line. The merch line up looks cool too! Just so you know, what with Christmas coming up.”

“I don’t think you ever told us what the anime’s about in the first place.”

Tsumugi took a sip of her mocktail. “Oh, right. It’s a dark take on the slice of life genre with Junko in the leading role. Ryota makes a lot of shorts with optimistic themes, so he wants to try something different and darker, while still trying to carry over his trademark hopeful plots.”

“Is his other stuff any good?”

“Is it good? _Is it good?!_ They call him the Mini Miyazaki for a reason, you know! Several of his shorts are considered on par with the magnum opi of all the big studios! And if it weren’t for his preference for independent production, he would have been taken on by one of them years--”

“Poo-mugi, if you keep spouting your otaku shit for another minute, you’ll be getting a wrench to the neck.”

~ ~ ~

“Dude, how did you end up with _Ibuki_ for the day?”

Korekiyo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “After the Werewolf event, she appeared to take quite a liking to me. In particular, my mask. She thought it made me look” he indicated air-quotes as he finished, “‘psycho-cool’. I ended up being dragged along to everywhere she wanted to go for the entire day.”

“Yeah, other than when I stopped by Blue Ram, I was with them too,” Kaede said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get her to cool down a little.”

“You’re sorry? How bad was it?”

“Let’s just say, everything Ibuki wanted him to do was…”

“Out of my comfort zone. Observe.”

Korekiyo showed those around him his own set of photos, all of which appeared to have been taken by Ibuki. The first was at a larger version of that Pie Face game, with Kiyo being the unlucky player getting a face full of cream. The following ones were taken at the outdoor obstacle course, Kiyo apparently stumbling or slipping over at every point. A video showed all of this in action, Ibuki’s raucous laughter plenty audible from behind the camera, as he continued to bounce against walls and pillars. On the whole looking very…un-Korekiyo.

Those around him were distracted from their amusement when Rantaro rose from his seat and glanced down the table.

“Hey everyone, I’ll be right back. I’ve gotta grab some stuff from my car. Gonta, mind giving me a hand?”

“Huh? Oh, of course!”

Once the front door closed behind the two of them, Kaede looked down the table. “So how’s the collection coming along?”

“We only need Gonta’s share and Korekiyo’s,” Tetsuya checked the amount resting on his lap. “Everyone else should be accounted for.”

“Nice! You know what to do?”

Tetsuya nodded, receiving a banknote from Korekiyo which he stuffed into his pocket.

“The hell is Rantaro going to get now? Balloons for someone’s birthday? Is it anyone’s birthday today?”

“Himiko’s on the 3rd, but that’s it.”

“Then what?”

“Probably another present for sticking with this mystery idea for so long.”

“Maybe it’s a celebratory cake!”

“One big enough for him to get help from Gonta?”

“Hm, good point. But you never know!”

The answer came sooner than they expected, with the two men standing at the foot of the table next to Korekiyo & Get G. Between them were three cardboard boxes, each one carrying what looked like five bags.

“Gonta and Rantaro are back!”

“Whatcha got there?”

“Presents. As a thank you for going along with this big mystery for so long.”

“Y-you really didn’t have to! Paying for us to attend the convention, hotels, and everything in between is already more than enough!”

“Please, I really don’t mind.” He shifted the box a little and checked the contents of one of the bags. “Let’s see, this was for…Tsumugi. Mind grabbing that?”

Tsumugi rose from her chair to take it, Rantaro checking the next few in the box.

“Uh, here, this front right one is yours, Tetsuya. Miu’s is right behind it, Angie’s…oh.” His box empty, he picked the last, heaviest bag out by the handles, raising his voice to attract a certain someone’s attention. “I wonder who this one could be for?”

“Like we know, they all look the saaa…ahhh!”

Kokichi trailed off the moment he saw the purple Panta logo pattern on his bag, which was much larger in capacity compared to everyone else’s simple DanganCon themed tote bags.

“Is that…what I think it is?”

Rantaro smirked. “Open it and find out.”

Korekiyo passed his bag down to him, which he immediately open and scanned the contents of. A mere few seconds later, he removed his face from the inside of his Mega Bundle and looked Rantaro dead in the eye.

“Rantaro, marry me!”

“Hehe…”

Tsumugi’s ‘first-encounter-with-Ryota’ face was back as she looked inside her own bag, a sentiment that was felt equally all across that table as they got a load of their own presents.

“Are these special edition DVDs at the bottom? W-where did you get all of this UDG merchandise?! A-and she’s already written volume four?!”

“I wasn’t sure about the DVDs given your…encyclopaedic knowledge of anime, but I knew you liked Komaru’s new manga. There should be a copy of volume one in yours too, Tenko.”

“There’s…an awful lot of candy & chocolate in here. How did you even find all of this at the convention?”

“Yeah, you told me you had a meet-and-greet today.”

“I lied about that so I had an excuse to get away and buy all this stuff. Oh, and not all of that came from the convention. I’ve been saving some chocolates from my trip to Novoselic.”

“Yes! Angie used all her on-hand supplies for commissions! These are divine!”

“I had no idea Shun Sasaki and Saburo Karin were at the convention! I’ve been meaning to read these for a while now!”

“Kimura Cosmetics? I’ve heard great things about her products!”

“Tets, did you fuckin’ tell him what we were planning? Because there’s no other way in hell he coulda got repurposed copies of Pagan Dancer & Project Zombie!”

“Hey, thanks man! But, I already have one of those WAVE shirts.” Kaito looked down at it, eventually shrugging. “Ah, well. Guess we all know what Leon’s getting for Christmas now!”

Rantaro chuckled, seeing how everyone was enjoying their gift bags. “There’s also something in each of those that I got specially done. A metal coaster.”

They all had tints of a slightly different colour corresponding to the person, with their name engraved onto the back, and a symbol in the middle that was identical on every one of them.

“Kaito, this is the same guy who made our throwing knives. Izayoi. I’m guessing he made the trivets and jewellery some of the rest of you have.”

“Hey, yeah, it is! There’s a keychain by him in mine.”

“But what exactly does this symbol mean?” Korekiyo held the coaster up. “And why is it something symbolic to all of us?”

“You’ll find out tomorrow.”

“Oh, great, _another_ surprise…”

<p></p>

By 10pm, all plates were cleared, all glasses emptied, and the hassle of paying the bill was settled thanks to the aforementioned ‘collection’. Over the course of the night, fourteen of the group were tasked with sliding each other money under the table, avoiding raising Rantaro’s suspicions like the plague. Then once it all reached Tetsuya, at the opposite end of the table to him, he discretely left the table to pay the bill.

“Come on, did you all have to go _that_ far?”

“Look, man, we’re not letting you pay for anything else between now and tomorrow evening! We all planned to cover our own meals before we got here, but those gift bags swung it.”

“Well, it’s not like I can take it all back from them now.” Rantaro got out of his chair again, throwing the now folded-down boxes under his arm. “It’s already kinda late, but I think I’m going to check out the Ultimate party at the convention centre. Anyone else want to come with me?”

The group started to murmur with those closest to them, all fifteen of them eventually standing up with their bags over their shoulders.

“Wait, does that mean _everyone_ wants to go? Even the Socially Awkward Six?!”

“I wasn’t aware we had a collective nickname,” Kirumi questioned Tsumugi, both her and the other five automatically knowing who she was referring to (Ryoma, Korekiyo, Shuichi, Himiko and Tetsuya). “But yes, I would be willing to tag along. It is our last night together for another while, after all.”

“But you won’t catch me out in the thick of it,” Ryoma added.

“I won’t be getting too involved in all the karaoke and dancing, but yeah, it sounds like a fun time.”

“And if it’s exclusively for Ultimate pass holders, then it’s an opportunity some of us might not get again.”

“That’s the spirit, you guys!” A ding was heard from Kaito’s phone. “Leon says he can order drinks for us all in advance, so we just have to pay when we get there. Just tell me your orders and I’ll send them his way!”

“In that case, let’s go. Anyone need a lift?”

~ ~ ~

_Day 2, night_

The party was apparently in the exact same room the opening concert had been held in, only the stage had apparently been taken down, and replaced with a far smaller one, one big enough for a DJ. Save for the coloured strobe lighting flashing intermittently, the room was near pitch black. A bar decorated with neon lights was positioned against a wall, and another wall bore a large TV screen for playing video games. There was another one for karaoke, but that one was currently switched off.

The group spotted a few familiar faces in the party, including Ibuki in the middle of the dancefloor, Leon attempting to chat to Sayaka close to the bar, Team Jabberwocky playing a video game on the screen, and Komaru part of the group watching them.

As the large group crossed through the doorway, Leon was the first to notice.

“Hey, you guys! Get over here!”

Kaito got there first, rummaging through his wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

“5000 yen.”

“ _What_?”

“I said _5000 yen!_ ” Leon shouted back, the music having increased in volume.

“ _Okay!_ ” He handed some notes over and waved the rest of his group over to pick up their drinks.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a hot idol to get back to!” Leon walked away from the bar and back to where Sayaka was waiting, Maki filling the space he’s left behind.

“Alright,” Rantaro addressed everyone in a raised voice that carried over the thumping bass, “I know some of you want to mingle, or head to the screens, but before that I feel like we should toast to our group again. It’s been nearly a year since the last one, and we’re all about to take the next step together. So cheers!”

Everyone’s glasses clinked.

“One more to the future!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "tangerine girl" is supposed to be Mikan (because of her name meaning), and in case you couldn't tell, Seiko is the owner of Kimura Cosmetics. Shun Sasaki & Saburo Karin are the fictional authors of those two books referenced last chapter.  
> The symbol at the end I imagine is similar to the emblem of the Ultimate Gifted Inmates Academy.  
> As for Ultra Despair Girls/UDG, that's the manga Komaru's writing. It would be a magical girl manga similar to the game (only without Monokumas since they're their own brand in this universe), and the two leads would be based on her and Toko (who I like to think are [girl]friends in this universe too).  
> Only two more to go! The announcement panel, and an epilogue. See you then!


	13. Streaming Harmony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You’d think I’d have learned by now not to tempt fate and promise faster update times…so you’ll get the epilogue when it comes.

_Day 3, late morning_

The fact that it took this long to get to the Jabberwocky booth was one of the biggest surprises among the group, especially since a few members already had links with them. More with them than with anyone else they’d encountered.

Currently, Miaya was providing visitors with an explanation of how some of their smaller games – their apps and earliest creations – are played and came to be, while Chiaki was in the middle of a demonstration of their latest VR game. Chihiro was left to deal with the likes of Himiko, Tetsuya and Miu (with Tenko and Kaito tagging along). Oddly enough, the two non-gamers of the five were the most intrigued with the gameplay, while the others listened intently to Chihiro.

“We were kind of limited in what we could do since the character isn’t our own, but I think we still managed to come up with something entertaining.”

“Okay, wait,” Tenko scratched the back of her head. “So, the buttons move the walls, the holograms attract and…wait, why are there so many cars?!”

“And what’s with all the creepy models?” Kaito was tense in his seat. “I don’t remember seeing any of those shot out of a cannon at the Monokumas booth.”

“There’s, I think, fifty levels we have set up at the moment, which all occupy a similar volume of space, so we want some harder ones which have more obstacles to work through. We also tried to include some player engagement to get from level to level, to keep the suspense going. The final version should also have the option to create your own levels.”

“Simple concept, but yes, that is certainly entertaining.” Tetsuya jotted something onto his phone. “What’s the title?”

“Working title is ‘Monoku-man’, but again due to copyright, we may have to change it.”

“Why’d you all adopt that character for the game in the first place?”

“We worked to get the partnership with Monokumas because we saw a likeness between their mascot, and our Usami character from the augmented reality game we put out in March.” Chihiro ran a hand through their short hair, sighing. “Honestly it was Ms. Gekkogahara’s idea, even though we’re still up and coming.”

Tenko turned around in her seat. “Was that the Magical Girl Miracle ★ Monomi game everyone was talking about? You have no idea how long Hina spent playing that game after its release!”

“I don’t doubt that.”

“And you shouldn’t have to call yourselves up and coming anymore,” Kaito stood up, passing control of his station over to Miu. “The quality’s awesome for a group of four people!”

Chihiro blushed from the compliment, while the within-earshot Miaya and Chiaki smiled & waved, and raised a thumbs-up respectively. It was then that Himiko noticed the absence of one person.

“Hey, where’s Hajime? Taking a break already?”

“He’s in the middle of something right now. It might go on longer, but he should let us know about that in a few minutes.” Chihiro looked at everyone in the group. “What about you? I thought Kokichi and Maki would have stopped by at least once.”

“Those two have to get ready for something as well,” Kaito said. “I’m just note-taking in case they can’t get a chance to play the game.”

“Well, that can’t be helped I guess. Anything else you want to know about?”

“What’s the VR game that Chiaki’s showing off?”

Chihiro turned towards her, with a smile reminiscent of a parent singing the praises of their child. “That, is Twilight Syndrome Murder Mystery. A virtual reality murder mystery game. Chiaki’s only playing the demo version right now, which has one level, but when we get an official release sorted out, we’ll hopefully have several more. I-if we can find someone to write them…that isn’t exactly our area of expertise.”

On the display monitor, Chiaki examined a piece of evidence. The overall atmosphere was dark and looked very…old-fashioned. A few background props almost looked like it was taken from real-life rather than computer generated.

“It might look like something from a horror game, but we want the mystery to be the selling point. That said, some future levels might contain jumpscares and more horror elements.”

“Hey,” Kaito nudged Tetsuya, “you think we could convince Shuichi to take a crack at that one?”

“It’s possible, although he may end up being too good at it.”

While they’d been wondering about this, Himiko had been posing more questions at Chihiro.

“What sorts of levels? The demo level is a high school, but we’re thinking of having a town, a single room…oh.” They felt their phone vibrating. “Sorry, give me a second.” They held the phone up to their ear, turning away. “Hello? Oh, Hajime! How’s it going? Uh huh…mhm…that’s great! Well done! Oh?...Wait, really? Okay, I’ll tell them! See you later!”

Chihiro pocketed their phone, looking back to the group. “It turns out Hajime was trying out for that Gungnir tournament this morning, and his team got into the finals!”

“Oh, that’s awesome! But, wouldn’t you three have been his team?”

They laughed. “We’re good at shooting _games_ , but only Chiaki’s good in real life. He found a new team of random people from the convention. Oh, yeah, and three of your group are going against them in the final. Guess _that’s_ where Kokichi and Maki were.”

“Now I think about it,” Tetsuya stated, “Kokichi was talking about that booth yesterday. But who would they be on a team with?”

“Guess we should go check that out for ourselves then! And they better not let us down!”

“In that case, I’ll come with you.” Chihiro turned to leave, raising her voice to attract Chiaki’s attention. “Do you want to come with us?”

The response didn’t come for a while.

“Hm? No, you go ahead. Wish Hajime luck though,” Chiaki called to them, albeit facing the wrong way, never once getting distracted from her game.

~ ~ ~

_Day 3, lunchtime_

The stage for the event had been moved from the indoor tent to an outdoor set-up, consisting of numerous barrels, small walls and whatever else the three teams could hide behind during the battle.

When the Jabberwocky group arrived, there was already a large crowd, far superior to that of the Blue Ram wall. Mind you, it was mostly made up of the younger visitors who got pwned earlier in the weekend. Most of the people in the sixteen-strong group were already waiting close to the front of the crowd.

“You guys! You’re right on time! It’s about to start.”

“Who are Kokichi & Maki on a team with?”

“Either Kirumi or Tenko, and then one other person,” Shuichi answered, glancing around the group to see if there was anyone else missing.

“Nah, it’s not Tenko,” Kaito replied. “She was just with our group. We all came from Jabberwocky.”

“Then where is she now?”

“Hey, Himiko!” Tenko appeared back next to her, two cone-shaped bags in each hand. “Here! Picked up a few bags of candy from those giant dispensers. Do you want chocolate or gummies?”

“Chocolate. Obviously.”

A bag filled with candy-shelled chocolates was handed to Himiko, as Tenko cracked open the bag filled with gummies, Rantaro reaching behind him to sneak a handful.

“I guess that leaves Kirumi as the third member. Interesting team combination.”

“Then who’s number four?”

“Ooh, we’re about to find out! It’s getting started!”

A young-looking woman stood in the middle of the set-up, megaphone in hand, having to shake it and press the buttons on it a couple of times before her voice could be heard.

“ _Hello? Is this working?_ ” Hearing her voice reverb, she smiled and raised the megaphone back up to her face, her other hand waving to the masses with all the enthusiasm of someone rushing towards cake. “ _Hello everybody! Thanks for making it out today! In a few short moments, the finals of the DanganCon Gungnir tournament will begin! I’m your host, Kinari Kunugida!_ ”

“Isn’t that the Underground Gravure Idol?” Rantaro murmured.

“How did they even manage to get a gravure idol to commentate on a toy gun battle?”

“Probably to attract all the losers who jack off to her photos when mommy’s away.”

“ _I know many of you probably have other places you want to get to around the convention, so let’s waste no time getting the teams out here!_ ”

“Excuse me, can I get through?” A redheaded woman with an official badge and camera tried to make her way to the front of the group. “Official photography for the convention.”

“Oh, sorry Ma--”

“Move aside, pigshits!”

Many of them got knocked into each other by another girl close behind Mahiru, this one with long blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail, her wardrobe heavily inspired by traditional Japanese garments. The direct opposite of her displayed personality.

“Watch it, brat!”

“ _You_ watch it! And don’t get in my way next time, lowly pig woman!”

“Kh…jeez, no need to be so harsh…”

Ignoring Miu’s onset whimpering, the blonde positioned herself next to the redhead, taking a small video camera into her own hands and muttering. “Why do I have to film this?”

“It _is_ a main event for the convention.”

“But it’s full of losers…”

“Well excuse you.” Himiko huffed at the blonde, most of the group moving away from her.

“ _First off, the winners from day one: the blue team, Komaru Naegi, Makoto Naegi, Akane Owari and Kazuichi Souda!_ ”

The first team emerged from the sidelines and made their way over to Kinari as the crowds began applauding.

“Hey, Angie didn’t know Komaru was taking part! May Atua’s grace be with you!”

“Um, shouldn’t you be rooting for Maki’s team?”

“G-good luck, Komaru!” From next to the group, an anxious-looking purple-haired woman shouted to the amateur mangaka.

Komaru grinned and waved back to the woman, tossing her gun up and catching it for effect.

“Hm…does she look familiar to you, or…?” Shuichi quietly asked Rantaro.

“Who? Komaru?”

“No, the woman in the crowd cheering her own.”

Equally curious, Kaede and Tenko looked in her direction, now understanding the sentiments.

“Hm. You’ve got a point.”

“Another vlogger?”

“No. It’s on the tip of Tenko’s tongue…”

“Maybe if their hair was different?”

“Actually, she looks almost like a character in Komaru’s manga.”

Clocking in on the four of them looking in her direction, she met their eyes with a fierce glare.

“W-w-what are you staring at?!”

“Uh, nothing. Apologies.” Rantaro and co. quickly turned away from her as the idol commentator introduced the second team.

“ _Day two’s winners in the red team: Maki Harukawa, Kokichi Ouma, Kirumi Tojo and Leon Kuwata!_ ”

This was the team that prompted an eruption of cheering from the team, visibly bristling the blonde video camera operator. Kokichi and Leon milked the applause for all it was worth (one more so than the other), while Maki and Kirumi gave polite smiles in their direction.

“Come on Maki Roll! Gimme something more than that!” Kaito waved, pointing at his phone.

It took a huff, sending her hair flying out of her face, before she forced a lighter smile on her face, waving awkwardly.

“ _And finally, our winners from ten minutes ago, the green team…_ ” Kinari paused as she double-checked her cue card. “Okay. Umm… _’Kira-Kira-chan’, Ibuki Mioda, Hajime Hinata and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu!_ ”

The final team emerged from a space in the crowd, the mysterious ‘Kira-Kira-chan’ obscuring their face with their blonde hair. The musician and Jabberwocky member were instantly recognisable, and while the other girl’s name was unfamiliar, Korekiyo’s eyes widened as he managed to get a look at her face.

“Sonia? My, this is quite the surprise.”

The young princess chuckled, lifting a bit of hair away from her face. “All children in Novoselic receive basic military instruction, and I myself am something of a professional when it comes to warfare.”

“Ah, of course.”

“As for the nickname, I still do not wish to draw too much attention to my presence.”

“If that is your aim, then I advise not using the name of a serial killer. One, if I recall, you hold quite the fascination for.”

“Hey, get over here!”

“I’m coming!” Sonia dropped the bit of hair back over her face, giving Korekiyo one more small wave before approaching her team. All three teams were assembled in the centre of the ‘arena’, for what would normally be the moment where the opponents stare each other down for intimidation purposes. Even though there were only two players actually doing that.

“We meet again, Babyface.”

“Tch…”

“Why don’t you just give up and run back to the Cola Cola booth? Because our victory is already all but assured.”

Sonia placed a hand on Fuyuhiko’s shoulder before he could explode at Kokichi, offering a bow to her opponents.

“I look forward to duelling with you all.”

“Yeah, same here,” Komaru added. “But don’t expect me to go easy on any of you.”

“I’d hope not,” Maki nodded.

“ _Okay, everyone, simple rules: if you’re hit, you’re out. It doesn’t matter what part of the body it is, but it counts. Everyone ready?_

“ _Set…go!_ ”

On the signal, all twelve players immediately ran to a sheltered spot to talk strategy, a handful blindly firing shots over their shoulders at the enemy. Through some stroke of bad luck, Makoto got eliminated from the game by Sonia’s bullet and Maki’s crossbow bolt before even reaching the safe zone.

While under cover, all eyes on the red team went to Maki.

“How do we approach this?”

“We’ve only just started, so for now, avoid getting hit. Later on we can change strategy when we know everyone’s strengths.” A foam bullet whizzed past Maki’s head.

“Sounds like a plan,” Leon gave a thumbs-up, two blue bullets sailing above him.

Kirumi glanced out from behind their barrels, trying to get a look at everyone’s position. The one still firing at them was Kazuichi, while Akane was out in the open, effortlessly dodging shots from Ibuki and collecting stray bullets. From the green team, Sonia could be seen issuing orders to the team, although Kirumi couldn’t hear any of them.

“It appears Akane is quite agile, while Kazuichi may be relying on luck to hit somebody. Not to mention Sonia’s leadership of her team. I cannot figure out everyone else.”

“Come on, you guys!” Tsumugi waved at them from the side-lines. “Stop hiding and fight! We believe in you!”

“Jeez, we get it. We’re not in a shounen,” Kokichi rolled his eyes.

“Alright then. Here’s what we’ll do.”

While Maki quickly briefed the team on a strategy, a few other players took notice of the team’s lack of attack, peering out from their hiding spot in case they’d been making a silent approach this whole time.

There was no sign of any of them.

Until both Leon & Kokichi stood up from their positions, one gun aimed at each team. One of Kokichi’s shots flew above Kazuichi’s beanie, a second one bouncing off his forehead, while Leon fired off multiple bullets towards the green team’s barrels. One of them stood up to return fire, only for two bullets to get her in the eye.

“Ow! Of all the places!”

“Sorry, Ibuki.”

With heaps of discarded ammo in hand, Akane turned her back to the red team and jumped behind her & Komaru’s hiding spot once more, managing to evade every shot from both teams.

“Leon,” Maki pointed to the blue team, “sneak up on them and shoot them from above. Kirumi, keep an eye on the green team.”

While Kirumi trained her sniper rifle on their position, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by Sonia, Leon reloaded his gun and slowly approached the other team, the other three ready to attack if anyone else emerged. Once he was close enough to land a shot, but still far enough away to avoid being seen, Leon lunged forward and hit Akane’s head, only to immediately turn around and retreat upon seeing Komaru.

“Multiple guns! She’s got multiple guns!”

Sure enough, Komaru poked her head & arms over her hiding spot with one gun in each hand, two more visibly hanging from her waist. The light blue one in her left hand appeared to have much bigger bullets than the standard issues, while the red gun was a rapid-fire.

Leon was able to jump out of the way of the first few on the way back, ducking behind another small wall in the middle of the battleground, only for Sonia to hit his shoulder with…something that felt way bigger and heavier than a bullet.

“Ow…” Rubbing his shoulder, Leon picked it up. “Is that…a mini grenade? This company makes toy rocket launchers too?! What’s next? Foam-tipped spears?”

As he moved back off to the side, both Hajime and Fuyuhiko emerged from their hiding spot to shoot at Komaru at the same time, apparently both missing their shots, before ducking back down again to avoid her incoming rapid-fire. The moment bullets stopped flying above the team, Fuyuhiko jumped back up with four shots to various spots on Komaru’s body. From her own hiding spot, Kirumi used this chance to snipe him.

“I believe that’s everybody on the blue team. Only Sonia and Hajime remain. Now how should we proceed, Maki?”

But she was nowhere to be seen, only Kokichi crouched next to her.

“Let’s just let her do her thing. We should try aiming for Sonia first – no strategist means no strategy, means no chance of Hajime winning by himself.”

“Alright.”

Just like Komaru had before, Sonia emerged from her hiding spot, albeit in a less enthusiastic manner. Her rocket launcher was holstered over her back, two guns in her hands. Kirumi’s position meant she could easily duck out of the way of Sonia’s attacks as she ran to the blue team’s previous hiding spot. In the meantime, she was able to use her second gun to block Kokichi’s bullets.

“Cover me, Kirumi!”

Once Sonia dipped underneath her new hiding spot, Kokichi ran for Hajime’s position and broke right – left, and both he _and_ Sonia would have had a clear shot at him. When Hajime made no move of showing himself, Kokichi began to pop off several shots as he rounded the barrels, eliminating Hajime and almost getting hit by Sonia.

Ducking behind the barrels so he was out of her range, Kokichi scooped up enough bullets from the floor to refill his gun, choosing to brandish Hajime’s discarded gun just in case. The only problem with that idea was that as soon as he retracted his arm – and bear in mind, it only took one second to grab the gun – he felt something knock into it roughly. Not just a small bullet, but one of Sonia’s fake grenades.

“Damn, she’s good. Heads up, Kirumi!”

Now Kirumi was at a disadvantage. With no other players left, and ill-equipped for close-range combat, all she could do was hide again, and guess which way Sonia would attack from. Or just take a chance and shoot once she came into sight. She needn’t have thought on her approach too much, since she barely heard her approaching, only noticing her proximity when she felt three bullets hit her in the side.

“My apologies, Kirumi.” Setting one of her guns down (the fake rocket launcher back over her shoulder), Sonia offered a hand to Kirumi.

“There is no reason to apologise. That is the nature of this game, after all.”

“Well, either way, I enjoying doing combat with you and your-- kya!”

She released Kirumi’s hand on instinct when she felt two things bounce off her back. Rubbing the area, she turned around to find Maki a good metre behind her, her crossbow pointed directly at her, stood behind a lone barrel.

Kinari’s megaphone came to life again. “ _The green team are all out! The red team are the winners!_ ”

Kokichi’s shouts of victory easily carried over the applause, again, most of which came from the rest of his group.

“That was…very impressive, Maki!” Sonia ran over to her. “How were you able to hide yourself behind that lone barrel? Where did you learn to do something like that? I couldn’t even see you!”

“As part of my self-defence training growing up.”

“Don’t tell me…was it ninja training?!”

Maki lightly laughed through her nose. “You’d think so, based on that.”

~ ~ ~

_Day 3, afternoon_

There were still a whole twenty minutes before the big moment by the time everyone assembled outside the main stage. A couple of them were flashing selfies in front of the sign, pointing vaguely at their panel name. Or, to be more specific, the panel name that was attached to their allocated time slot. Since the name generated a lot of confusion among them.

“Hey, Rantaro? What does ‘Streaming Harmony’ mean?”

“Is that some kind of printing error?”

“Oh no, it’s correct. And you’ll see what it means later on.” Rantaro winked, moving towards an additional doorway that led backstage. “Everyone whose going on stage, follow me. Everyone else, there’s eight reserved seats along the front.”

The team split in half accordingly, the spectating half filing into the (currently rather empty) seating area.

“What’s with the name? He’s not thinking of changing his channel name, is he?”

“That seems unlikely.”

“Perhaps it has some relevance to the logo Korekiyo pointed out yesterday.”

“That has to be it. I mean, it didn’t look like any of our channel logos.”

“He did say it had some sort of relevance.”

As they made their way towards their seats, Shuichi glanced to Kokichi. “You’re not taking part in the panel?”

“Nah. DICE couldn’t make it to the convention, so I’m filming the panel for them.” He turned on his phone as he said this.

“How come?”

“Too expensive for them to get here. Even with standard passes. I can’t make as much as other vloggers while I’m still in high school.”

“I guess that’s fair.”

A minute before the hour, with the attendees in their seats, the other half of the group emerged from the wings of the stage and took their places at the long table to a polite applause. Sat at the far left was Rantaro, followed by Tsumugi, Kaede, Kaito, Angie, Korekiyo, Tetsuya, and Miu on the far right. Their own words were drowned out by the crowd ambience, until Taka, stewarding the panel, handed an additional microphone to Rantaro.

“Okay, I think we can get started now.” The chatter in the crowd died down almost immediately. “Hey there, everyone! Welcome to our panel!”

More applause broke out.

“A lot of you might be wondering why exactly I chose the name I did, that being Streaming Harmony, and why I decided to bring specifically these seven” he motioned down the table, “other amazing vloggers to take part.”

“We’re already here, Rantaro,” Kaito held up his mic. “No need to keep sucking up.”

This drew a laugh from a few people in the crowd, most noticeably the other eight sat at the front.

“Well, all of that will be explained during this panel. What we have planned for the next hour or so is a Q&A, and then some announcements right at the end. Obviously, there are only eight of us up at the front, so to make things easier, please try and address your questions to us. If you have any for the others, or things you want to hear from everyone, then be sure to post them on social media.”

“I don’t know if they can even tell who’s at the front.”

“Oh, right.”

To prevent him having to list them all off, they either stood up and waved, or just turned around in their seats.

“And on that note, we should probably work down the line and introduce ourselves for those who don’t know us all. I’ll go first…”

For the most part, the questions were rather mundane things – how are you enjoying the convention? Favourite foods? How did you get into vlogging? – but it wasn’t until they crossed the halfway point that they started to get more interesting, or even personal.

“This one’s just for Rantaro. Um, I get if this is too personal, but I was wondering about your sisters. You talk about them in a lot of your solo videos, but will we ever get to see them on camera?”

Clearly, this question appeared to strike some kind of nerve, since Rantaro sighed and put his head in his hand, scratching the side of his face.

“Ah! Um, like I said, you don’t _have_ to answer!”

“No, I don’t mind. So for those unfamiliar with me, I have twelve younger sisters & stepsisters, between…hm, probably 12-19 now. We lost my youngest sister on a family trip a few years ago. Not as in they died…well, I hope not…but she followed me somewhere and went missing. Eventually, the other eleven of them went missing too. So, no, chances are you won’t be seeing them in any videos any time soon.”

He laughed. “To tell you the truth, they’re part of the reason I made my travel vlogs. On the off chance I happened to find one of them. But also so that, wherever they are, they could see me, and hopefully come and find me if they were close by. So they could see I hadn’t given up on them.”

Rather than any applause or murmuring, there was an almost awkward silence following his response.

“Heh. Sorry, everyone. I went a little off track there.” Rantaro rubbed a finger under his nose as though scratching it, clearing his throat afterwards, before pointing to the other microphone. “Yeah, you down there.”

“Hey, question for Kiyo. So, no offence, but why don’t you ever show your face on videos?”

“In all honesty, the main reason is so as not to distract from the image of my channel. Many people are of the opinion that my mask adds an additional layer of mystery.” A brief silence. “However, if you so desire, I will remove this mask, just for a moment.”

Excited murmurs began to rise up, followed by some more gentle applause of encouragement.

“Very well. If you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

Korekiyo turned his chair around so he was facing away from the audience while he removed his mask. He kept his head low to avoid any of his fellow group members getting an early look. Even with that, a few kept their eyes on their desks or covered them with their hands.

“Just so you know, this is going to be a complete mystery for Angie and everyone else up here, too.”

“Sure, but I don’t know if it’s gonna be worth the w… _what_ …the _fuck_ …”

“Wow, Kaito. That kind of reaction has to be great for his self-confid-d… _damn_ …”

“Kukuku, such extreme reactions for a face reveal. Is everyone ready?”

“On the count of three. Everyone join in!” Tsumugi declared.

“One…two…three!”

Korekiyo turned around, and the reaction was…well…

To put it simply, his idea of his face being ‘a distraction from the image of his channel’ was bang on the money. Because Korekiyo looked pretty hot under his mask. At least, if the sound of some girls in the audience screeching was anything to go by. Even his friends in the group were taken aback, Tsumugi being driven to a nosebleed.

“Oh…wow. Um, can we get some tissues up here for Tsumugi?”

Korekiyo retrieved a second mask from his pocket, one easier to put on than his other one, and his face was immediately covered once more.

“I assume everyone is satisfied?”

“Okay, after that, we probably don’t even need your announcement, Rantaro. You can just go home.” More laughter and applause, before Kaede pointed to the next person. “Um, yes, you in the cosplay.”

“Get G, have you got any major tech projects coming up?”

Miu immediately began fiddling with her hands and bouncing in her seat, chomping at the bit to spill the beans, eliciting an amused reaction from some people. Noting her eagerness, Tetsuya glanced towards her and leaned into his mic.

“Alright then…you can tell them if you want to.”

“Yes!” She snatched her mic out of its stand, leaning back in her seat and almost putting her feet up on the table, only restraining herself when Taka gave her a warning look. “Okay, so for those who – somehow – don’t know about me and Tets, we’re both engineering & robotics students. A huge chunk of videos on our channel are dedicated to inventing whatever shit we think up on the fly and showing it off, but there is one pretty fucking major thing we’ve had in the works for ages!”

“We’ve finally gotten it to the final stages of planning, and we should be able to start building it after Christmas. I personally don’t want to reveal too much information about it, but if Miu wants to…”

She returned to a normal position in her seat. “All I’m gonna say is that it’ll be our magnum opus. The culmination of our combined genius! Like nothing anyone on the planet has ever seen before!”

“So, yes, to answer your question, we do have a big project in the works, so I hope you look forward to it!”

Rantaro was about to call upon the next person waiting at the microphone, until he glimpsed Taka tapping his wristwatch. “Oh. Okay, Taka’s saying we’re running low on time, so we’re gonna have to stop the questions there. Sorry to everyone who didn’t get to ask their question, but again, feel free to send them to our social media once the con’s over!

“So before everyone enjoys the rest of the convention, I have one more thing to talk about. I saved this announcement for the end, and I’ve been building this up with these guys for the last month or two, maybe even longer by this point, who knows?”

Rantaro took a sip from his glass of water before clearing his throat again.

“Right then. If you’re familiar with me, or anyone else up on the stage or sat in the front row, chances are you’ll have seen at least one collaboration video. Sometimes we’ll be guests on another person’s video, sometimes they’ll be in the background, sometimes we’ll mention them, and other times it’ll be less obvious. Heck, Kaede wasn’t in my Italy vlogs last month, but she made the music for it.

“The main purpose of these collaborations has always been a way to help other content creators get their names out there. I can’t speak for every one of us, but for some people, making videos for people’s entertainment has been a…a real lifeline. Obviously, nobody’s life is perfect, and making content has been a way to escape or move on from whatever hardships they may have had to deal with. And…yeah, a way to help likeminded people expand their reach, and a way to share our skills with each other, so we can develop as creators. And…well, again, I can’t speak for them all, but I personally think it’s gone well so far.”

A few of them nodded or hummed in agreement.

“Which is why I’ve decided to take things one step further, and hereby announce the creation of Streaming Harmony!

“You don’t have to worry about anything seriously changing about us or our channels. All it really means is that there’s probably going to be an awful lot more collaborations between us – and maybe even some external people – the budget of some of their channels might increase, and you may even see their upload schedules become more regular.”

“Unlikely,” Himiko shouted from the crowd, to the amusement of the rest of the group.

“Like I just said, the purpose of this little umbrella group is to provide even more support beyond what we’ve been doing for the last couple of years. We’re not going to be merging into one big channel, so you don’t have to worry about any of your favourite channels dropping off the Internet. All it’ll mean is better quality, and more possibilities for what we can do.

“So that’s the big announcement I’d been building up all this time. I hope it was worth it, and I hope we can all make something great out of it in the future.”

~ ~ ~

The sounds of the remaining fans filing out of the hall was still audible from the green room, where all the members of the group were assembled, chatting amongst each other.

“It wasn’t a waste of your time?”

“Hell no! Even if the reveal turned out to be a major anti-climax--”

Maki punched him in the arm.

“Hey! I’m not saying it _was_ , I’m just saying if it _had_ turned out to be an anti-climax, then we’d all still have gotten a…what, 80% expenses paid trip to DanganCon!”

“An extended schedule! Doesn’t that sound heavenly, Himiko?”

“It’s hard enough to make four solo videos in a year. I don’t know if I can handle the pressure to make any more than that.”

“Well that’s exactly what our collaborations are for!”

“Anyone know what time we’re on?”

“Ten past five. Why?”

“I don’t know about all of you,” Rantaro scratched the back of his neck, “but I need a break after all that. I’m going back to my room for a few hours.”

“I can’t say any of us would blame you at this point,” Kaede smiled. “Will you still be going to the big end party at 8:30?”

“If my alarm wakes me up. Hopefully I’ll see you all there, if not, tomorrow morning?”

“Definitely! And thanks for all this!”

He chuckled, letting go of the green room door. “It’s my pleasure.”

Once it clicked shut, Korekiyo turned to the others. “Does anyone else plan to take their leave?”

“Angie does. Komaru leaves in a few minutes, so Angie and Atua want to say goodbye. Afterwards, Angie wants to do one last tour of the convention.”

“Oh, you’re going to Komaru? Can I come too?” Tsumugi asked. “It’s sort of related to my channel.”

“Of course!”

“Ah! Gonta completely forgot he has a meet and greet in five minutes!”

“As do I,” Kirumi added. “Where will you be headed?”

“Out to the front. Kirumi?”

“Likewise. We should best hurry over there. I shall see you all later.”

As the four of them hurried off in their relevant directions, Kokichi held a hand out after them.

“Gonta! Wait!” He didn’t hear him. “Aw man, now who’s gonna help me carry all those toy guns back to my room?”

“You’re more than capable of doing it yourself.” Ryoma moved towards the door. “I agree with Rantaro. I’m exhausted after all this. Shuichi, you wanna grab some dinner at the hotel?”

“Um, I’ll catch up to you. I’ll text you when I get back.”

“Sure. I’ll see you all at the party.”

Kokichi leaned in to the person closest to him. “Hey, Maki Roll! Mind helping me carry them? They are technically _your_ prize, too.”

She sighed. “Fine…let’s go.”

“Okay! Carry me?”

“Don’t push your luck.” She looked to Kaito. “Are you coming?”

“Why not. I don’t know if you two alone will be able to handle it all.”

“Again. Don’t push your luck.”

“I’ll see you guys tonight!”

The remaining seven waved back at him, until Himiko nudged Tenko’s side.

“Is something wrong, Himiko?”

“Are you doing anything for the next couple days?”

“Um, no. Well, technically, I have classes, but I’m sure Sakura will get me the notes when I get back. Why?”

Himiko’s index fingers pressed against each other. “Well, there’s a Disneyland across the water, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me for a couple days. For my birthday.”

“Really? I’d love to! Who else is going to be there?”

“Um…nobody. Just us two.” Her face began to turn as red as her hair. “And…if you wanted to…mom said you could come over for my actual birthday afterwards. If…if you wanted.”

No one knew how to react, especially not Tenko, who had also gone beet red and was almost bugging out, trying to think of a response.

“I…I…you’re sure?”

“Mhm…”

“O…of course I want to do that with you!” And just like that, she was back to normal. “We…we should start looking for hotel rooms closer to the park! And we still have to pack our bags before tomorrow morning!”

“We’re only going fifteen minutes away from here.”

“That doesn’t matter! There’s still so much to do!” Tenko grabbed Himiko’s hand and pulled her to the door. “Tenko will see you all tonight!”

Korekiyo turned to the others as the door slammed. “Quite the development between those two, wouldn’t you agree?”

“It’s kind of cute! Especially Himiko’s reactions to it all.”

“Of course if Tenko was gonna go for anyone…she’s been wantin’ to put it out for over a year.”

“Well then,” Tetsuya also moved towards the door, “I want to get one last look around the convention, get some last minute footage for our summary video.”

“Ooh! I have the drone on me!”

Both of them ran out of the green room without even offering the other three any parting words. Soon after, Korekiyo moved to follow them.

“Do you have something in mind, too?”

“Not exactly. I may just mingle and observe for another hour. However, I shall see you both tonight, yes?”

“Of course! See you, Kiyo!”

He too left the room, leaving only Kaede and Shuichi behind, taking a seat on the sofa. A few moments of quiet passed between them, when Kaede leaned into Shuichi’s shoulder.

“So…how was that? Not as bad as you were expecting, right?”

“No, it wasn’t. You could have at least told me sooner that nothing would seriously change.”

“But that would still have ruined the surprise!” Kaede moved slightly away from him. “Any idea what you want to do this evening?”

“Actually, I think I might join Ryoma for dinner at the hotel.”

“Mind if I join you there?”

“Of course not.”

The two left the green room together and made their way to the exit. They were stopped by the odd fan on occasion, but other than that, they used that time to tell each other about how their weekends had gone.

Or rather, oddly enough, Shuichi was talking about _his_ weekend, while Kaede seemed strangely quiet. Was she sick? Upset? Whatever the reason, it was very much unlike her.

“Kaede? Is everything alright?”

“Hm? I’m fine. I’ve just been thinking.”

“What about?”

“I might have a favour to ask you.”

“A favour? What do you need help with?”

“Oh, it’s not for me. It’s just…well, it’s fair to say Rantaro’s done so much for all of us up to this point, right?”

_Maybe a little_ too _much, if you ask me._

“But we haven’t been able to do anything close to that as a thank you.”

“Did you have something in mind?”

“Yes, I did actually. It might seem impossible at the moment, but I think you’d be the perfect person to help make it happen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, only one chapter to go! I’m not going to predict the upload time, but I will say I have a plan in mind. And as for the references:  
> Akane and Kazuichi are just two random people who ended up on the blue team, hence why there’s little focus on them. Mahiru is a photographer hired by the convention, while Hiyoko does a similar job, only with video footage. Obviously they’re a pair. Kinari Kunugida is a minor character from DR Gaiden (and the host job didn’t suit Mukuro).  
> Komaru’s guns in the tournament are based off of the Megaphone Hacking Gun settings.  
> The Jabberwocky games are all based off of minigames from the series – Monoku-man from UDG, Magical Girl Miracle ★ Monomi from SDR2, and Twilight Syndrome Murder Case. Also, the Twilight Syndrome cases would all turn out to be linked together.  
> Thanks for reading up until now, and I hope you enjoy the epilogue! When it comes.


	14. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, I don’t care how this sounds, but when re-reading previous chapter to plan out the epilogue, I actually smiled when I was reading Miu & Tetsuya’s introduction. I’m more proud of that one half of a chapter, than I’m proud of the series I’ve been writing for four years!  
> Also, I wanted to put this at the beginning rather than the end: while writing this chapter on my uni campus between classes, I came up with a headcanon for Miu’s nickname for Tetsuya in this story (Tets). It’s from the French word “tête”, meaning head, so it’s basically Miu calling him a genius like her ~~(but it can also count as an innuendo)~~  
>  Also, SHLP stands for “Streaming Harmony Let’s Play”.  
> I hope the epilogue sticks the landing to this story!

_Welcome to Streaming Harmony! (DanganCon Recap) - AmamiWho_

“Hey everyone, Rantaro here.

“It took longer than expected, but it’s finally here – my second DanganCon recap video! It only took such a long time because of having to collect everyone’s footage, and finish off some planning for Streaming Harmony, but it should be worth the wait. And yes, the Streaming Harmony arrangement is definitely going ahead.

“Don’t worry, there aren’t going to be any drastic changes. All it really means is that you’ll be seeing a lot more collaborations between us, the visual quality of some of our videos might improve, and there _might_ be the possibility of us moving in together. But that’s all dependent on them and how they feel about this arrangement, and we _have_ only just started this so…yeah, we’ll see a couple years down the line.

“Anyway, here’s our recap video for the latest DanganCon, and we hope you enjoy it!”

~ ~ ~

_Japanese apartment tour! – BlessedAngie_

With one hand holding the selfie stick above her head and another still dragging a bag behind her, Angie had to use her elbow, constantly sliding off the knob, and force her body against the door to get it to open. The light being let in was limited on account of the blinds being drawn shut.

“Sorry everyone. Still moving things in.” The door clicked shut behind her as she reached for the light switch with her foot, her phone camera momentarily losing focus as it came on. “Okay! There we go!”

Ditching her bag, Angie removed the phone from the selfie stick and changed the view. “So now we can finally have a proper look around! Okay, so this is the entrance hall! Have to remember to take my shoes off from now on! A storage cupboard to the left, and a nice bathroom to the right.”

She opened the door to the main apartment, revealing a small kitchen area against the left wall, with the space in the middle containing a sofa & TV. Right at the back were two additional rooms, the larger one leading out to a balcony.

“Angie’s apartment is deluxe, so there’s supposed to be two bedrooms. However, Angie’s decided to use the smaller one for her art and video-making! Expect to see Angie in there a _lot_ in the future.” The image showed what was beyond the room’s window. “With a divine view! It looks even better from the main balcony!”

Distant rustling could be heard, before another person knocked on the door.

“Are you nearly finished? I can’t keep your art supplies in my apartment forever. It’s crowded enough as it is. And Ivy’s already making herself at home in one of your boxes.”

“Oh! Right! And guess who Angie happens to live above!”

~ ~ ~

_THE ULTIMATE GUNGNIR WAR BEGINS – PantaLord_

“Soo…I’ve been thinking. That last video of DICE engaging in a Gungnir battle on the streets and how popular it’s gotten this last week…it’s really got me thinking. Our little Streaming Harmony group’s been getting on great: no drama, no fighting…I don’t like it. We need a way to spice things up around here, you know? So starting from now, all sixteen of us will be participating in a Gungnir war of our own!

“Simple rules: you eliminate someone by shooting them. It can be discreet or in plain sight, but it _has_ to be on camera. Not necessarily as part of a video, but someone has to be filming it. And yes, on that note, we _are_ allowed to interrupt each other’s videos to do it. _And yes_ , we can form alliances with other people. So if you see some of us interrupting each other’s videos in the future…now you know why.

“And so,” Kokichi held a purple toy handgun up in one hand, aiming it at the camera, “let the games begin!”

~ ~ ~

Ibuki pressed the button on her computer to stop recording, ducking underneath her microphone to reach it.

“Sweet! Ibuki would say that’s our best take yet!”

“Yep, I’d agree with that.” Leon shook his water bottle. “Mostly because I’m all outta water, and one more take will shred my vocal cords.”

“Ibuki _did_ ask if you wanted another bottle.” A few more taps, and the last take was played back, this time with the vocals and guitar accompanied by a previously recorded drum beat and a piano sequence. “Seriously, how’d you think of getting Kaede involved with our track?”

“Hey, in this business, you take whatever leg up you can. It’s all about networking.”

“Well whatever the reason, it sounds banging! Maybe for the last track we can see if she’ll do some synth keyboard! Then again, the classical sounds would work better with Sayaka’s style.”

Leon almost dropped his bottle. “We’re doing a track with Sayaka?! How did that happen?!”

“Like you said, networking. Why else do you think Ibuki hosted that concert at DanganCon?”

“So you could show off your own musical stylings?”

“Kyahaha! That should be a given!”

~ ~ ~

_Easy Self-Defence Life Hacks! w/ no trick magic - NeoTenko_

“As a hero of justice, it’s important to be able to defend yourself from all kinds of degenerates!”

“Really? A hero of justice?”

“Oh, you still don’t know. Well, whatever, there’s plenty of time for you to hear about that! Anyway, not everyone will have the same knowledge of self-defence as people like Tenko, or even Maki, which is why in this video, I’ll be teaching you some easy ways to defend yourself! With some help from my lovely assistant, Himiko!”

“When did I get downgraded to the role of assistant?”

“Sorry Himiko, but in the world of Neo Aikido, it’s Tenko who’s the magician.” She passed her a fake knife. “Okay, we’re gonna start with something simple. Himiko, run at me like you’re trying to stab me, and I’ll block it.”

As Himiko came close to making contact, Tenko swerved to the outside of Himiko and grabbed her wrist. Using her other hand, she pushed Himiko’s arm away, before ducking underneath it and pulling it down over her shoulder, the strain making her drop the knife. Tenko then quickly spun around, pulling Himiko’s arm down with her, making the young magician flip onto her back on the training mats.

“Nyeehhh…owie…”

“And now, Tenko will show you how to do it!”

“ _Easy_ self-defence? That didn’t feel easy…and it was only the first one.”

~ ~ ~

_Ultra Despair Girls OFFICIAL MANGA DUB – Miss Shirogane_

“Was that take acceptable?”

“Perfect, Kiyo! Let’s wrap it up there for today. We have everything we need for the first two chapters now!”

Korekiyo nodded and exited the booth.

The business Tsumugi had required with Komaru turned out to be a request to produce a comic dub of Ultra Despair Girls, as a way of building up a fanbase for it. Once she’d approved the idea, she’d rounded up anyone who’d accept to play a role in it – top of the list had been the group’s ASMRtist, followed by reaching out to Junko.

“I must admit, it feels strange to be behind a microphone without my mask for a change.”

“You may be able to get away with the mask for your videos, but this is big stuff. We need the audio to be perfect.”

“I understand. Hum…speaking of which, I appear to have misplaced my mask.” He turned around to face Tsumugi to ask for help finding it, only for a stream of blood to start bursting through her nose.

“Oh, are you alright? Are you sick?”

“No, it’s just…I’m still not used to seeing you without your mask.” She sniffed. “You wouldn’t have any tissues on hand, would you?”

~ ~ ~

Sonia gasped. _“Of course! That must be why the Makango species is apparently threatened! I shall have our country’s scientists commence study on these bugs at once! Thank you, Gonta!”_

“It’s no problem! Gonta is happy to help!”

Even though he hadn’t ever met her in person – save for when he’d been watching the Gungnir tournament – Gonta had been recommended to Sonia by Korekiyo, after he’d discovered a natural phenomenon affecting Novoselic through his research. They’d arranged to video call (from his local café in his case) one afternoon to discuss the problem – a little more difficult when he couldn’t witness everything first-hand.

_“I must ask, would you be opposed to coming to Noveselic for a week or two, should we continue to fall short in our research?”_

“Huh? Oh, no, that should be fine. It would be easier for Gonta to see this insect for himself.”

_“I’ll be sure to keep in touch while they continue to work on the problem. Thank you so much for your help!”_ Sonia reached for the ‘end call’ button, but retracted her hand quickly. _“Ah! I meant to ask this, but I was wondering if you could introduce me to somebody in Japan?”_

“I can try. Who?”

_“I heard that you’re close to the owner of the Exciting Breeding Journal…um, Gundam Tanaka, if I recall? He appears to possess great knowledge of animal breeding, and I may require his assistance for the rebuilding of the Makango population.”_

“I’ll see if he can do something…”

_“He also appears to have exceptional knowledge on several occult matters. I would very much appreciate his input on a future project!_ _I was hoping to meet him at DanganCon last year, but I never saw him. And his hamsters too…I’ve read a lot about his ‘Four Dark Devas’ on the blog!”_

Unseen to her, behind Gonta’s laptop, said breeding expert was covering the lower half of his face with his scarf, his hamsters nuzzled inside it.

“Video blogging isn’t my area of expertise. Not to mention appearing on camera would be…”

“It’s okay, Gundam! You don’t have to be _on_ camera!”

“E-even so…”

_“Oh, I did not realise he was there with you! Perfect!”_

~ ~ ~

_Pagan Dancer & Project Zombie: Repurposed – Get G_

“Yes, Irubashi69, the games have technically been out of print for a long time, but we managed to get a hold of some copies to play for you guys on our stream. And no, we’re not being paid by Funplane…even though the money might be useful.”

“Haha! I’m the master of this game! Pun intended,” Miu exclaimed as five more zombies joined her hoard, another handful tearing into the necks of other zombies. Her avatar had gone from the default to an incredibly busty model, in a skimpy pink sailor uniform covered with multiple black straps. “Come at me, Chiaki!”

“No wonder we only spent five minutes on Pagan Dancer before this one.” Tetsuya continued to scroll through the live chat. “Okay, they _do_ want us to go back to Pagan Dancer after your finished your round.”

“But what if I don’t wanna finish my round?”

“Miu, we _own_ this copy of the game. You can go back and continue whenever you want – it’s not like at the convention.” A little more scrolling. “Oh… _oh_ , that.”

“What?”

“The chat keeps telling us to shoot each other.” Tetsuya sighed. “Guys, it may be a tournament between us all, but we’ve agreed to work as a team until the final two.”

“That way we’ll be able to get rid of Kokichi, when the twink decides to take us out. You know, once he gets out of high school.”

“Everyone else may be open to betraying each other, but Miu & I aren’t like that. Hm?” Tetsuya clicked on something. “Ah, ‘what does Kokichi being in high school have to do with anything?’ He finishes in a couple of weeks, and once that happens he’ll be a full-time vlogger. Meaning he will have more time to take the rest of us out.”

“But we ain’t about to let that happen, are we Tets?” Miu asked, offering a high-five.

“No way,” he replied, slapping Miu’s hand with his own. “Get G all the way.”

~ ~ ~

The trip from Tokyo to Hachijo-jima was no more than an hour, and the take-off was at two in the afternoon, but Shuichi was still out like a light. Rantaro spent most of the travel time editing another video, while Kaede kicked back and listened to her music, an excited smile on her face. For the most part, Rantaro just assumed she was in her zone, but felt like asking her about it once they landed.

“Everything okay?”

“Yep. Why?”

“You just look excited about something. You don’t plan on shooting me when we get inside, do you? You have your pink gun in your carry-on bag, don’t you?” He jabbed the rucksack in her lap.

Kaede laughed. “You don’t actually think we’d get away with carrying those in an airport?”

“Good point.”

Apparently not having felt the descent, Shuichi began to stir from his long-overdue nap when Rantaro tapped his shoulder.

“Are you okay? It looks like you’ve barely slept. You didn’t have to come with us if you weren’t up for it.”

“No, no,” Shuichi sluggishly swatted his hand away. “I’m fine. It’s only for a couple of days after all.”

Even when the three of them were inside collecting their luggage, Shuichi looked like he could keel over any second, having to stifle yawns with his arm every few seconds. All the while, Kaede continued to try hiding her smile, growing wider with every step towards the exit.

“Seriously, did something good happen this morning?”

“Nope. Just excited!”

*BZZT* *BZZT*

“Oh. Right. Phone.” Shuichi shuffled through his pocket. “Excuse me. Hello?”

The three were about to round a corner into the arrivals area, Kaede starting to discretely record video from her phone, only for Rantaro to immediately step back, cautiously glancing around the wall.

“Oh, my God…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I swear to God I just saw Sayuri over there.”

“Um, Sayuri?”

“The oldest one of my sisters.”

Shuichi’s wasn’t listening to him, instead invested in finishing off his phone call. “Yeah. I told you, we’re here. So…yes. Avocado. Avocado.” He then hung up and slid it back into his pocket.

Rantaro looked to him in confusion. “What’s ‘avocado’ supposed to mean?”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter. Let’s just go. I want to take a nap.”

They fully rounded the corner and headed towards the door…only to immediately stop as Rantaro saw the large sign in front of him:

_WELCOME TO HACHIJO-JIMA, RANTARO!  
From Sayuri, Ayame, Erika, Moriko, Jasmine & Rina, Sumire, (Hanako), Tsubaki, Ume, Suiren, and Namika_

Said sign being held by a group of eleven girls of various ages and various styles, the one trait common among them being their green hair.

Rantaro was frozen in shock at what he was seeing, his mouth in a wide O, eyes almost bulging out of his head. He kept looking between Kaede and the group of girls, all of whom were laughing at Rantaro’s reactions.

“Surprise!”

“You…they… _what_?!”

“Shuichi and I’ve been working on this for nearly four months! He found and contacted them, _and_ worked on getting them here today.”

“Consider it an overdue thank you, for Streaming Harmony.”

“I’m…this is…what?!” The group of girls laughed again, seeing their brother in such a state, vastly different to what they’d seen in his videos.

“Stop gawking and hug them already!” Kaede made a shooing motion. “Don’t leave them waiting for another year!”

On Kaede’s signal, almost all of the girls let go of the sign and ran to their big brother at full speed, Sayuri lingering behind to scoop it up. Several of them almost knocked Rantaro over, the youngest of them all (Namika) being scooped into his arms.

“Woah, look how big you’ve gotten!” He kissed her on the forehead. “Where the hell were all of you?!”

“Unfortunately,” Kaede continued, “we couldn’t find Hanako this time. But at least that leaves one more for you to find yourself!”

“Oh my God…you two…”

Lifting Namika onto his back, Rantaro ran back to where Kaede & Shuichi were stood and pulled them into a hug.

“Thank you…” they both heard him sniff. “Thank you so much…”

“ _Oniichan_ , why are you crying? Aren’t you happy?”

He rubbed his nose against his sleeve. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier, Namika.”

Shuichi & Kaede laughed, happy at a job well done.

“So, we’ve bought enough tickets at the hotel for you and all your sisters, so you can spend the weekend together. Kaede and I are actually going to be staying somewhere else.”

“That way you can have all the time in the world with them!”

“That explains why you were so desperate to take the lead on planning this trip.”

Rantaro finally pulled back from his hug and picked his bag up, turning back to his sisters.

“I owe you two big time for this!”

“Trust me,” Shuichi rubbed his eyes, “you don’t.”

And with more of the girls throwing themselves on him again, the almost-reunited family made their way out of the airport towards a waiting minibus, with Shuichi & Kaede watching after them, they themselves also close to tears.

“They all look so cute together!”

“Totally worth missing three nights of sleep for.”

~ ~ ~

_Galacti-roll: Monoku-man - Harumaki_

“Graahh! How do you get the perfect score on this level?!”

“For the last time, you have to take down all of the Monokumas using the obstacles.”

“But it’s difficult! What level is this anyway?”

“Seven. Of fifty.” Maki took a swig of her coffee. “Are you going to give it another try?”

Kaito groaned, walking his character through the dropped items and towards the door. “No, I’m sure people are already getting mad in the comments. Maybe I’ll have a better time with level eight.”

The door symbolising the end of level seven lead straight to the next room, rather than into any interactive segments.

“So you’ve already cleared the whole game?”

“In private, yes. If you don’t lose your mind over them, I’ve started making some levels of my own for you to try.”

“Sounds great!”

Kaito let go of the mouse for a moment to survey the obstacles and positions of all the enemies, when Maki chipped in with some advice.

“Oh, by the way, watch out for the Gatling guns in this level. They’ll shoot at you the moment you come into their range.”

“Huh? I don’t see any. What guns?”

She smirked. “This one.”

And lightning-fast, she retrieved a red gun from behind her seat and fired a bullet into Kaito’s chest, eliciting a yell of shock.

“Gwah! Wha-- Maki Roll!”

The incoherent yelling that followed this was blocked out by Maki’s laughter, enough to make her start falling out of her chair.

“Yes! Haha!”

“Well it’s nice to see Galacti-roll is nothing more than a ship name for you.”

~ ~ ~

_Simple Sunday: Doughnuts and Cream Puffs (with Ryoma & Tenko) - MaidCorp_

“Ten to fifteen minutes this time, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. Or until you’re happy there’s a golden brown colour.”

Ryoma crossed his legs while sat in front of the oven, waiting for another minute or so to pass.

“It’s stuff like this I’m happy to take part in. No constantly looking over your shoulder waiting for someone to shoot you.”

“You haven’t been participating?”

“I’m a part of it officially, but I don’t exactly wanna do it. I’m surprised no one’s taken me out yet.” Ryoma grinned at Kirumi. “Thanks for having me on for this.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“Oh no! It’s burnt!”

Further away, Tenko scooped her doughnuts, now a shade of brown bordering on too dark, out of the fryer quickly, dropping them onto the tissues next to the pan.

“It’s no issue. Look,” Kirumi cut one of the darker doughnuts in half, revealing a rainbow of colours on the inside. “The colours came out perfectly.”

“Oh. You’re right! As long as I can ice them properly, they’ll be perfect for *******!”

What Tenko had actually said wasn’t anything explicit, but the censorship was to keep her birthday present for Hina a secret, given this video would be up before the day came.

Smash cut to the three of them stood behind the kitchen countertop, Tenko’s tray of iced doughnuts sat in front of her.

“So, now that we’ve shown the end result of Tenko’s doughnuts, let’s have a look at Ryoma’s cream puffs.”

Ryoma disappeared below the counter for a few seconds, soon after pushing a tray of pristine patisseries onto it.

“Woah! You’re a natural at baking, Ryoma!”

His head popped back up over the counter. “What can I say? It’s easier when you know what exactly you’re making.”

“Can I try one? Please…” Tenko had to hold back drool at the sight of them.

“Knock yourself out.”

~ ~ ~

_DRUNK BUILD: Thermos Survival Tool, Put to The Test! – Get G_

“Last October, early November, you may remember me putting together this baby,” she held up a standard silver Thermos flask, “on a Drunk Build video. A handy-dandy multi-purpose survival tool that’s part flask, part heater, part bazooka, part bathroom!”

_Emitting the more…X-rated addition,_ Tetsuya was thinking.

“Well it’s been festering…”

“Literally.”

“…in the garage for the last few months, so, after an intense deep clean courtesy of Kirumi, we decided to bring it out, fix it up and give it a trial run!”

Maki shook the flask lightly. “So, how does this become a bazooka again? And why couldn’t we do this at your house?”

“Twist the handle.” Maki did, adjusting her hold as the tool increased in size. “As for your second question, it backfired and burnt our back wall last time. We’re not risking that again.”

“Well since graduation, I’ve actually had time to improve it, so that _won’t_ be happening! I’ll stake the channel on it.”

“Please don’t.”

Maki lifted the weapon and aimed it at the wooden targets ahead of her, the back half resting against her shoulder.

“What exactly is the aim with this test? Am I supposed to hit a specific part of the target, or is this just to make sure it doesn’t explode?”

“No real aim. Just aim and shoot! Show off how awesome it is!”

“Alright.”

“I’ll count you in, okay?”

Maki’s hold on the weapon shifted as she bounced it off her shoulder, getting a better handle on the weight. The end was aimed straight at the centre target.

“Ready…aim…”

Maki’s finger hovered over the trigger.

“Fire!” Miu & Tetsuya yelled at the same time, both of them revealing their toy guns and firing bullets into Maki’s back.

“Ah! What?”

“ _Whoo-o_! Gimme ten!” The couple slapped hands, Miu breaking out into a song and dance. “We beat the big dog! We beat the big dog!”

Maki huffed, a light smile on her face. “Well played, you two.”

“Only four to go.”

~ ~ ~

_Streaming Harmony Q &A #3 - PianoBaka_

“Irubashi69 wants to know how the Gungnir tournament’s going?”

“Only five of us left! Well, six actually. Kokichi, Ryoma, Angie, Shuichi, and Get G are playing as one for the foreseeable future of the game,” Kaede responded. “Once it’s over, we’ll be posting a video of all the eliminations on the winner’s channel, so look out for that.”

“Alright, that one was short and sweet.” Rantaro clicked on a new submission. “Next question, Sod@can asks – yikes to that username – ‘other than the obvious ones (Irubashi & Galacti-roll), are there any other couples in your group?’ Guys? Any thoughts on that one?”

There was a somewhat awkward silence until Kokichi thought up a reply.

“I mean, Galacti-roll might have broken apart by this point after what Maki pulled on him.”

“Nah, it’s all in good fun. Besides, Tetsuya & Miu avenged me in the end!”

“Sure, keep telling yourself that.”

“I believe Shuichi & Kaede have been getting pretty close recently. They _did_ do all that work on reuniting Rantaro’s family, after all.”

A chorus of ‘oohs’ sounded from the group, Kaede laughing nervously as Shuichi’s face went flushed.

“Well…maybe? I guess it depends on which one you ask.”

“Tenko and Himiko on the other hand?” Angie turned to them. “Atua senses a strong spiritual connection between the pair of you. Will you reject His theory?”

All eyes went to the two girls. Tenko had lost all her previous composure, now a rose-coloured stuttering mess, while Himiko made every effort to avoid eye contact with her friends.

“No comment.”

Rantaro cleared his throat. “Anyway…next question is for Shuichi: ‘is your hat just glued to your scalp or will we ever see you without it?’”

~ ~ ~

“Kokichi, you fucker!”

Miu spun around behind her, rubbing the back of her neck, as the door to the men’s bathroom swung closed. A loud scream was heard from inside, until Kokichi emerged with his shit-eating grin, spinning his gun on his finger.

“Nishishi…too easy. And you two managed to eliminate Maki? Then what does that make me?”

Tetsuya pushed the door open with a sigh, returning to the main hall, Miu following close behind, the couple dropping down into their seats next to each other. The whole time, Miu’s evil eyes weren’t taken off of Kokichi, who was lingering further behind.

“Did something happen?” Korekiyo whispered.

“The twink shot Tets and me on the way out of the bathrooms.”

“He certainly is taking this tournament seriously.”

Behind them, Kokichi leaned into the person at the end of his row of seats.

“ _Kaede…”_

She didn’t respond, too focused on what was happening on the stage.

“ _Kay~ ay~ day…_ Kaede.”

“Hm?”

“Move over. You’re blocking my seat.”

Sighing, Kaede stood up to let him past. “What took you so long? I thought it was just a trip to the bathroom.”

“Well I met Get G on the way and…well, when opportunity knocks…” he patted the gun still at his hip.

She dropped back into her seat, now peeved. “You skipped out on Himiko’s trick because of that stupid tournament?!”

“What? It’s not over until it’s over.”

“You’re just lucky Tenko wasn’t on stage when you left.”

“Whatever. _You’re_ just bitter Shuichi got you while you were aiding Rantaro’s family reunion, aren’t you?”

“That’s…ah…shut up. The next trick’s about to start.”

Where previously Himiko had been on stage with a few gimmicky props that everyone could guess the secret behind, she was now stood on a tall pillar, Tenko wheeling a covered tank in front of it. There were visible beads of sweat gathering on her forehead, the spotlights glaring off of them.

“A-and now, I shall demonstrate my Extreme Water Magic. Uh…”

Nervously, she glanced down to Tenko, who offered her a bright, supportive smile.

“Photo booth,” she whispered, inaudible to the crowd but just loud enough for Himiko to hear. She grinned in return, clearing her throat, and a new, much larger smile filled her features.

“My Extreme Water Magic, a trick of the highest degree of difficulty. Behold…”

Tenko pulled the red covering off the tank, a curtain above the tank being drawn back to reveal another suspended one, this one filled with piranhas.

“The Underwater Escape Trick!”

~ ~ ~

_SHLP: Twilight Syndrome Murder Mystery (VR) - JustSaihara_

Shuichi stood in the middle of the group, fully decked out in virtual reality equipment. Those watching him play the game were Kaito, Maki, Rantaro, Gonta and Miu – something of a random line-up, but with this new arrangement of theirs, what wasn’t?

“I think that’s every clue I’ll find in here. Wasn’t there another room at the end of the hall?”

“Think so,” Kaito responded.

“Um, Gonta’s a little lost. What exactly is Shuichi doing?”

“The aim of this game at the moment is to search the rooms for clues, in order to help solve a case. Sometimes characters will pop up for him to interact with as well.”

Shuichi guided his character down the hallway towards a slightly ajar door. Using the controller he pushed the door, when he jumped out of his skin as he heard a loud buzzing.

“Uwah! Was that from the game? Guys?”

“Don’t worry! It was just Rantaro’s phone!”

“Sorry. Forgot to mute it.”

Shuichi took some breaths and looked around the new room, a couple of sheets tacked onto the walls.

“I’ve seen people do this room before,” Rantaro said. “Do you want a hint, or are you going to do this part blind?”

“Uh, I’ll take a hint. Just don’t spoil anything.”

“Cool. So you’re gonna need your third remote for this part.”

“My…third remote?”

“Yeah, the one Miu made you put in your pocket before we started.”

“Okay then.” Shuichi held out his right hand for someone to take his remote, then reaching into his hoodie. “So what now?”

“When you turn back to the door, there’s going to be a quick time event, so don’t stop mashing the button, okay?”

“So when do I go?”

“When you hear the door creaking.”

There were a few moments of silence from the game that Shuichi used to scan the room for more clues and read one of the sheets, when he heard the squeaking of a door. As soon as it met his ears, Shuichi spun 180 degrees on his heel and his finger pressed multiple times.

…pressed against the trigger of his gun, as he blindly fired bullet after bullet in the approaching Kokichi’s chest.

“No! Goddamn it!”

Kokichi threw his gun to the floor in anger as the game’s spectators burst into hysterics.

“Yes! It fucking worked!”

“Wait, did I actually get him?” Shuichi asked, pausing the game and slowly lifting up his headset, punching the air as he saw Kokichi’s minor temper tantrum. “Oh, I did!”

“Justice!”

“How’s that for a master plan?!”

“What the hell Rantaro?! I thought you were on my side!”

“I was,” he smirked, shrugging. “But hey, whatever makes things more interesting, am I right?”

~ ~ ~

“There you go,” Tsumugi read the contents of the bag off the attached receipt. “One complete Toga cosplay, complete with wig and props.”

“Awesome! Oh, that manga you recommended is getting really good! And great job on the dub!”

“Thank you! Don’t forget to keep spreading the word!”

As yet another customer left, Tsumugi checked the order off of her notebook, when she felt a buzzing from her apron’s pocket. Swapping one item for another, she ignored the caller ID and immediately answered.

“Hello?”

“Tsumugi! I told you, no calls on the job!”

“ _It’s been a while, hasn’t it Mugi?_ ”

“Junko! Hi! How have you been?” Ignoring her boss, she moved out from behind the bar to continue the call.

“ _Great. Double M’s anime finally wrapped.”_

“Uh, Double M?”

“ _Short for Mini Miyazaki.”_

“Ah.”

“ _Anyway, he’s a little busy right now, but he wanted me to pass on a message to you._ ”

“What sort of message?”

“ _Alright, prepare to get excited!_ ” Junko cleared her throat. “ _Double M’s already moved onto his next movie project – the story’s being handed off to a screenwriter for proofreading, and casting is set to open soon._ ”

“That’s great!”

“ _And because of that, he wants to see your resumé._ ”

Tsumugi paused. “My…resumé? Why? Does he need reference models for the character designs?”

“ _Nope. Well, maybe, but that’s not the reason. No, he knows how much of an enthusiast you are for his work, and anime in general,_ and _he’s actually been keeping up with your manga dub series. So…he_ might _want to cast you in one of the roles! You’ve got a big break all lined up for you! Sounds cool, right?”_

“…”

“ _Hellooo~? Mu~gi~?”_

“…”

“ _…oh, great, here it comes._ ”

“eeeeeeeeEEEEEEE _EEEEE_ …! Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!”

*CRASH*

“ _Everything okay, Mugi?_ ”

“Sorry, sir!” She called to her boss. “Got a little too excited and broke a…few things.”

“ _Not like you need the job anym-- don’t do it again.”_

“Eeeeeeee-- oh, um, sorry.”

~ ~ ~

_SHLP: Among Us (yes, we’re going there) - PantaLord_

“Man, being a regular crew member’s so _boring_ …”

With everyone’s schedules still so uneven, it was a miracle fourteen of them had time for a Let’s Play together. Granted, with a limit of ten players, some of them grouped up and tag-teamed where possible: Galacti-roll (as usual), Angie/Ryoma/Kirumi, and Tenko & Himiko. Only Miu & Tetsuya were unable to join in, being more focused on a personal project.

“I kinda wish Shuichi was the one not playing. Sometimes he’s too good at this game for his own good.” He returned to the game, grinning soon after. “Then again, so am I.”

Yellow – Angie’s turn – began following Kokichi’s Purple towards navigation, passing Kaede’s Pink on the way. He made a couple of U-turns just to check Angie’s response, before starting the task.

“Alrighty, only three left after this-- aw, come on…”

The screen filled with the EMERGENCY MEETING alert, Fortegreen slamming the button in the image.

“What happened? Who called the meeting?”

“Sorry everyone, but Gonta has a question.”

“Okay, okay, normally, I’d kick you off the ship in a heartbeat for pulling that,” Rantaro said, “but because it’s Gonta, let’s all save the bickering and listen to his question. So what’s wrong?”

“I, um, think Gonta’s game might be broken. There’s some kind of glitch that teleports Gonta to a different room.”

“What kind of glitch?”

“Gonta was about to do a task in the corner of electrical, when his character suddenly appeared in the medical bay.”

There was a long moment of silence, before Kokichi released a loud sigh and cleared his throat.

“Gonta?”

“Yes?”

“You vented.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“It means you’re one of the imposters,” he replied, casting his vote.

There was a chorus of laughter and groaning down the various microphones, until it was all drowned out by…

“Goddamn it, Gonta! Now I’ve gotta go in alone!”

Another silence.

Kokichi smirked. “And there’s the other one.”

“…fuck.”

“Well done, Kaito,” Maki deadpanned.

~ ~ ~

_IT’S FINALLY FINISHED – Get G_

Time: 5:27am. By this point, Tetsuya was slumped onto the kitchen island, a coffee cup gradually slipping out of his hand, glasses set on the side. Miu was stood in front of a mostly unseen pillar of metal, tinkering with something with a screwdriver, goggles covering her eyes. Other than the cameras on either side of their workstation, both vloggers were fitted with personal cameras – Tetsuya a GoPro on his head, Miu’s embedded into her goggles.

For a moment, she looked back at Tetsuya, swooping down to stop his coffee from spilling onto the tiles.

“Don’t go wasting that stuff! We may need another top-up.”

“We’ve spent this long on it, I certainly hope not.” Tetsuya took a sip of it, the temperature having gone cold now. “I haven’t been this tired since our final exams.”

“At least we got to have fun pulling the all-nighters this time.” Miu reached for a power drill, moving behind what she was working on. “And I doubt we’ll have to do much more. If we don’t get perfect results after 53 solid hours of work…”

The power drill came to life, Tetsuya wincing at the sound. He paused to rub his eyes and adjust the head camera.

“Hey, Miu?” He shouted. “Do you want to do something with the real Chibi-Kiibo once we’re done here?”

“Maybe. But I’m gonna need a _long_ nap before then.” The drill shut off, Miu pushing her goggles up. “Okay, I think it’s ready.”

Tetsuya frantically reached for his glasses and stood in front of his & Miu’s creation, she herself still making small last-minute adjustments here and there. Once she was certain, she stood next to Tetsuya in admiration.

The major innovation that had taken so much of their attention was a humanoid robot. It had a masculine appearance with pale ‘skin’, ‘eyes’ and white ‘hair’ that swayed to the left, topped with an antenna that resembled an ahoge. A robotic replica of Tetsuya, and by extension, a larger version of Chibi-Kiibo. In place of clothes was gakuran-esque armour plating, although a softer black material was visible at its neck.

“I can’t believe we’ve actually done it, Tets.”

“Me neither. It feels…unreal.” He leaned in a little closer, a hand going to his chin. “Then again that might be because it looks like me.”

“This is gonna be awesome!” Miu retrieved a clipboard, all of Non-Chibi-Kiibo’s programmed abilities written on it. “Sound recording, cameras in the eyes, flashlights, hairdryer, air detector, waterproof, multitool in the hands…and of course the maturing AI! We’re gonna have to thank your old man big time for helping make that.”

“That’s assuming all the tests go successfully.”

“Well there’s only one way to find out.”

Sharing one last smile, Miu walked behind Non-Chibi-Kiibo’s body, a finger hovering over the button at its neck.

“You ready to go?”

He bounced on his feet a couple of times in anticipation. “Do it.”

She held the button down for three seconds, until Non-Chibi-Kiibo’s eyes gradually lit up, a soft blue starting to fill the irises. Once they were at its maximum brightness, the robot blinked a couple of times before looking to Tetsuya, anticipation giving way to nerves.

“Um, hello there?”

There was no response for a while, so Tetsuya tried again.

“Can you hear me? Can you tell me who you are?”

Another silence. One much shorter than before.

“I am K1-B0, the official robot mascot of Genius Experimental Tech and Gaming. Feel free to address me as Kiibo.”

Tetsuya’s tired eyes went wide, taking a stunned step backwards.

“Miu…am I hallucinating?” Both hands went to his head. “Ha...we…we actually did it. Holy shit, we actually did it!”

“Fuck yeah we did!” Miu dropped the clipboard and tackled Tetsuya to the floor in excitement, both of them laughing in relief. “All that’s left to do now is test all the functions…oh.”

From their position on the floor, Miu saw the blue in K1-B0’s eyes had started to fade, its body gently slumping. The green text along its collar flashed two words: RECHARGE REQUIRED.

“Whoops. Forgot to charge him up.”

As all the power left him, the couple stayed pressed against each other, taking in the gravity of their achievement.

“Was it worth the wait, Miu?”

“Hell yes.” She leaned in to Tetsuya’s face, her lips gently touching his. “Thanks for this.”

“It’s no problem.” He took a few breaths, still reeling. “So, what now? Do we go out for breakfast or order in?”

“Out. We’ve had more than enough delivery this week. Then I’m gonna follow K1-B0’s lead and hit the sack.”

A loud yawn broke past Tetsuya’s mouth.

“Agreed.”

~ ~ ~

_Streaming Harmony’s Gungnir Showdown SUPERCUT – Ryoma Hoshi_

17:39 timestamp. ‘29th August, 7:12pm. Ryoma’s apartment.’

A first-person, unsteady phone camera went towards the window of the apartment, the sun starting to set, its light glittering off the distant ocean. A small cat basking in the soft glow was gently moved from their perch on the windowsill, the figure shuffling across their bed and slowly opening the window.

The camera pointed towards the sky, revealing the balconies of the higher floors. From the balcony above & to the left of Ryoma’s flat, there was a soft humming. A canvas was set up at the edge, paint palette resting on the railing, its resident no doubt making the most of the sunset.

A perfect time to strike. A shame to ruin their work, but a perfect time.

The camera shifted in the person’s hand as they reached for something out of view with their other hand. Soon, a black toy gun was aimed towards this person, their white head of hair now visible. Some seconds went by, focusing on Angie’s musings, until the trigger was pulled, a foam bullet bouncing off Angie’s head. It hit the floor and rolled under the railing, too far for Ryoma to bother reaching for it.

There was a moment of confusion and murmuring from Angie, until she heard a whistle, her head turning to the camera. For the first time, a deep voice was heard from behind it.

“I win.”

~ ~ ~

“Look, I’m not saying it’s a bad idea. I’m just saying that if we _were_ gonna do a ghost hunting show, count me out!”

“Wuss. I’d only tag along because you’d need my genius gadgets to stand any chance of finding anything.”

“So, that’s a yes overall to the ghost hunting series?” Ten of the screens had a yellow border appear around them, Kaito & Maki’s eventually bringing the vote to eleven. “Okay.”

These kinds of meetings had become commonplace in Streaming Harmony. Whenever someone had an idea for a collaborative series, they’d submit their ideas to Shuichi, who would then compile them into a list and carry them over. In response to their latest discussion, he put a checkmark next to the ghost hunting idea.

“Alright, next on the list is an inflatable amusement park.”

“Ooh! That’s Angie’s!” She waved down her camera. “That wouldn’t be all. We could do a tournament between each other again – break off into four teams and compete in different challenges like that one! An inflatable amusement park could be the setting for an entire round. Ooh! And what if we got some of our other friends to compete too!”

“Okay, but wouldn’t it cost a lot of money to set that up?”

“Not if we went to one that was already set up!”

“I’ll put that as a maybe. I’ll ask Rantaro about the monetary side of things when we’re done, then we can vote on it.”

“Where is he, anyway? You’d think the guy who made the group would have the decency to turn up to our meeting.”

“He has some business of his own to attend to.” Shuichi returned to his sheet. “Anyway, what’s this about Eiichiro Saiyama?”

“Oh, that’s my idea,” Tsumugi said. “He’s a serial killer who uses his victims corpses as realistic references for his manga! I thought we could do a video on that together.”

“Tsumugi, I _was_ having a good time in this meeting for once.”

“Yes, that sounds horrible!”

Shuichi cleared his throat. “Well, I’m not opposed to the idea, but it’s not an idea for the entire group to use. And I think the 919 documentary already covered his case.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still-- oh.” Tsumugi’s eyes dropped to the corner of her computer screen. “Rantaro and one other person want to join our call.”

“Let them in. It’s fine.”

A click later, and two more windows appeared on everyone’s screens. One was of Rantaro, apparently sat on his bed. The other came as a real surprise to the rest of the team.

“Oh! Mr Hashimoto!”

“Please, call me Gento.”

“Right, of course. What exactly brings Gento to our meeting?”

Rantaro chuckled. “We’ve just been having a talk about this year’s DanganCon, and Gento had something he wanted to tell all of us.”

Adjusting himself in his chair and reaching for a chicken wing, out of a bucket on his desk, Gento started.

“First of all, let me just say how great it was to have you all at DanganCon last year. Your big announcement and panel was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend, not to mention the contributions you made elsewhere.”

Kaede pushed her shoulders up pridefully at this, Angie beaming.

“And ever since then, your content’s flourished tremendously. Miu, Tetsuya, congratulations on finishing your robot project, by the way.”

Miu brushed some imaginary dirt off her shoulder, Tetsuya nodding.

“You all really helped to raise the profile of the convention even further. Therefore, with all that in mind, I would like to invite you all to this year’s Streaming Harmony as featured creators.”

All but Rantaro were stunned at his proposal, this shock changing into excitement, a few people still doubtful.

“You’re gonna pay for… _all sixteen of us_ to go at the highest level?!”

“He technically did that for us last year.”

“But…why us? Does that even make sense?”

Gento nodded. “It makes perfect sense. All of you have plenty of experience when it comes to creating videos, and of course Streaming Harmony came to be at _last year’s_ convention.”

“That is a good reason.”

“I recall Get G and Tsumugi taking part in creator chats last year, yes? Having everyone present would bring about a similar effect to that – a group of friends bouncing off each other to grow in their own ways; a story like yours would be a real source of inspiration for aspiring content creators.

“So, what do you say?”

Everyone went quiet, glancing between each other’s video screens to gauge one another’s reactions. Even K1-B0, active in the background of Miu & Tetsuya’s camera, gave a nod of encouragement. Soon, everyone looked to Rantaro’s screen, waiting for the leader’s verdict.

“DanganCon round two? We’re all in.”

~ ~ ~

AmamiWho. PianoBaka. xxxIruma and Kiibo, AKA Get G. PantaLord. Luminary of the Stars. Harumaki. GontaTheGentleman. Miss Shirogane. Oni Sama. BlessedAngie. NeoTenko. no trick magic. Ryoma Hoshi. MaidCorp. JustSaihara.

Sixteen YouTubers, all of differing abilities, all with different fanbases. They each lead different lives, specialise in different content…yet somehow this group always find themselves drawn to each other.

This is Streaming Harmony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tenko’s self-defence move is based on a knife defence technique in karate (not from aikido, but whatever). All of Rantaro’s siblings, like him, are named after flowers in one way or another.  
> Side note: what I like to believe about this story is that Byakuya was too good for this YouTube shit to include. However, I imagine he would have been interviewed about Genocider for the 919 documentary. Don’t ask where Tengan and Kyosuke were in all this (and yes, I was keeping track).
> 
> HUGE thanks to everyone who read this story! It made me happy to see so many positive comments (especially from MythGirl02 who commented on every chapter!), and was a huge help to keep my spirits up during this...nightmare of a year. Based on this, I’ll hopefully be posting more ideas onto this account in the future…including To The Stars and Back. Again, huge thank you to all of you, and hopefully I’ll see you in the future!


End file.
